NCB seizes 82.53 kg of Cocaine worth ₹900 crore in Delhi, links to international syndicate

The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) announced on Nov 14 that it had confiscated 82.53 kilograms of premium-grade cocaine, valued at approximately ₹900 crore, during operations in Delhi's Janakpuri and Nangloi areas. The agency also reported that two individuals were arrested in connection with the case.

The NCB said that the seizure followed months of investigation, based on leads from previous drug seizures in March and August of this year. The operation began after a package destined for Australia was intercepted at a Delhi courier company, according to the agency.

"In this case, the initial recovery, made at a courier shop in Delhi, was from a parcel headed for Australia. NCB was able to trace the supply, which was concealed in Janakpuri and Nangloi," Deputy Director General Neeraj Kumar Gupta said on Nov 15.

Gupta added that the investigation revealed the syndicate was operated by individuals based overseas, and some of the recovered drugs were intended for shipment to Australia.

"The people involved in this case are mainly hawala operators who use pseudonyms for day-to-day communication, making them anonymous to one another," Gupta explained, noting that two individuals from Delhi and Sonipat had been arrested.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah praised the NCB's success and emphasized that it demonstrated the government's firm stance against drug trafficking.

"The back-to-back major breakthroughs against illegal drugs in a single day show the Modi government’s unwavering resolve to build a drug-free Bharat. NCB today confiscated 82.53 kg of high-grade cocaine in New Delhi. This massive drug consignment, worth approximately ₹900 crore, was tracked down using a bottom-to-top approach after drugs were seized at a courier center in Delhi. Our crackdown on drug rackets will continue ruthlessly. Congratulations to the NCB on this major success," Shah wrote on X.

Earlier in Oct, approximately 1,300 kg of cocaine were seized in three raids across Delhi and Gujarat as part of a multi-agency operation targeting a major international narcotics syndicate.

On Oct 29, the NCB also dismantled a methamphetamine lab linked to Mexico’s CJNG cartel in Gautam Buddh Nagar, on the outskirts of Delhi, recovering 95 kg of drugs and chemicals like acetone and red phosphorus.

Additionally, on Oct 10, Delhi police uncovered 200 kg of narcotics at a shuttered store in the Ramesh Nagar area, where the drugs were stored in open Namkeen packs. The drugs were valued at ₹2,000 crore in overseas markets.

On the night of Nov 14, a boat carrying 700 kg of methamphetamine worth ₹5 crore was seized off Gujarat, leading to the arrest of eight Iranian suspects.