Mumbai: The Mumbai police’s anti-narcotics cell (ANC) arrested two persons, including one of African origin, in three separate cases and seized cocaine and ephedrine worth Rs 19.90 lakh from them. The seized ephedrine cannot be procured without proper prescription but the accused were peddling the drugs among youngsters during the ongoing festive season.
The arrested foreign national was identified as John Kenddy (36), a Nigerian who had been staying at Ulwe in Navi Mumbai. He was apprehended from near the Sham Nagar slums on Veera Desai Road in Amboli.
“To keep vigil on drug cartels during the ongoing festive season and to ensure that they do not target vulnerable youth and hamper the city’s festivities, we busted an international drug cartel operating out of Mumbai and arrested one of its members,” said Shivdeep Lande, deputy commissioner of police, ANC.
When Kenddy was frisked, the officials found 125 grams of cocaine worth Rs 12.50 lakh in his possession. The accused was apprehended when planning to peddle the drugs and the contraband was found in small packets.
In two other cases, the Ghatkopar ANC apprehended peddlers possessing heroin and pseudoephedrine. On Friday, the ANC’s Ghatkopar unit was patrolling the area when it saw a suspicious-looking person near a bus stop on the Ghatkopar-Mankhurd Link road in Govandi.
When the accused was apprehended, he tried to flee. Upon frisking him, the investigators found 89 gm of heroin worth Rs 8.90 lakh in a plastic carry bag in his hand. The accused was identified as Manzaar Din Shaikh (43), a resident of the Gaondevi area nearby.
On Monday, the Ghatkopar ANC received a tip-off about a person carrying pseudoephedrine who was apprehended from LBS Marg. The accused was identified as Irfan Yasin Shaikh (36), a resident of Nagpada. The officials found 2 kg pseudoephedrine worth Rs 3 lakh on his person.
