• HIGHEST EVER SEIZURE OF 312.5 KG METHAMPHETAMINE ALONG WITH 10 KG HIGH PURITY HEROIN MADE. TOTAL INTERNATIONAL VALUE OF THE SEIZED CONTRABAND ESTIMATED TO BE OVER INR 1,200 CRORE• LUXURY CARS AND TRANSPORTATION UV ALSO SEIZED

   Face2News/New Delhi 

A team of Special Cell, New Delhi Range, led by Sh. Lalit Mohan Negi and Sh. Hridaya Bhushan, ACsP/NDR comprising of Inspector Vinod Kumar Badola and Insp Arvind Kumar and assisted by SI Sunder Gautam and SI Yashpal Singh, under the close supervision of Shri P S Kushwah, DCP/Special Cell (NDR), has busted an transnational synthetic drug cartel with the arrest of two Afghan nationals from Meethapur Road, near Kalindi Kunj Metro Station, Delhi. With the arrests, highest ever seizure of high quality party drug Methamphetamine, totaling  312.5 Kgs has been made apart from 10 Kgs of Afghan origin Heroin.

The Accused identified as  Mustafa Stanikzai, s/o Nasratullah Stanikzai, 23 yrs, r/o Khadda Colony, Jaitpur Part-II, Delhi; Permanent r/o Mosahi (Mussahi), Kabul, Afghanistan, and  Rahimullah Rahimi, s/o Asahdullah, 44 yrs, R/o Unitech Horizon, Greater Noida, UP; Permanent r/o Khvajeh'ali Baba, District Kandahar, Afghanistan 

Police said, this team of Special Cell, which has, in the past, severely dented transnational narcotic trade being routed through India by effecting some mega-seizures viz. 330 Kgs of Afghan heroin in the year 2019, 57.2 Kgs Afghan heroin in the year 2021 and 354 Kgs Afghan heroin in the year 2021, has been adroitly pursuing the changing dynamics of the contraband trade. 

In 2020, a EU4Monitoring Drugs (EU4MD) project report had highlighted that there was a growing realization among those involved in the Afghan drug trade that the ephedra plants growing wild in the central highlands of Afghanistan for hundreds of years were a potential source of ephedrine for methamphetamine manufacture. The move to plant-based production in central and south west regions of Afghanistan had created a two-tiered production system, with separate laboratories for extracting ephedrine from ephedra plants and for making methamphetamine from the ephedrine. Ephedrine, known locally in Afghanistan as ‘F’, can be extracted using a relatively simple and low-cost method. The persistent focus on Intelligence Based Operations (IBO) by the team also provided credible inputs that over the past few years; Meth was gradually replacing Heroin as the preferred financing option for terror operations.  

In order to thoroughly investigate the emerging use of Meth as the fulcrum of evolving Narco-Terror matrix, a FIR was registered under the relevant sections of UA (P) Act and investigation was taken up.  

Deployed sources, technical-identifiers and infiltrations soon led to information that a huge consignment of a known drug-lord operating from overseas would be transiting Delhi. Qualitative use of sources to cross-check every bit of information that was flowing in led to one specific input which stated that on 03/09/2022, two Afghan nationals namely Rahimullah and Mustafa were reaching Delhi in a luxury Skoda Superb car and were expected to be carrying some contraband with them.  

Mr. Hargobinder Singh Dhaliwal, Special Commissioner of Police, Special Cell, said,  the Methamphetamine being pushed into India is concealed in different legitimate export articles viz. silica gel, talc stone, gypsum powder, basil seeds etc. From the processing labs in Afghanistan, the contraband usually reaches a port of neighboring country and gets containerized for various seaport destinations in India.Wherever reconstitution or purification is required, the contraband after exiting Indian seaports is transported to make shift factories based in MP, Punjab, Delhi  and Haryana.  To verify this specific intel, a trap was laid and the above named two persons were apprehended on the same day from near Kalindi Kunj Metro Station, Meethapur Road, Delhi. In this stop and search operation, 1.360 Kgs of Heroin was recovered from the possession of Mustafa while another 1.040 Kgs of Heroin was recovered from the possession of Rahimullah.  

Mr. Hargobinder Singh Dhaliwal, Special Commissioner of Police, Special Cell, said,  the Methamphetamine being pushed into India is concealed in different legitimate export articles viz. silica gel, talc stone, gypsum powder, basil seeds etc. From the processing labs in Afghanistan, the contraband usually reaches a port of neighboring country and gets containerized for various seaport destinations in India.Wherever reconstitution or purification is required, the contraband after exiting Indian seaports is transported to make shift factories based in MP, Punjab, Delhi  and Haryana. 

Since the intel pointed towards a bigger consignment that was being shepherded by the apprehended duo, quick, intense interrogation at the spot was carried out. This succeeded in extracting information regarding a white colour Mahindra Pickup bearing registration number UP-41-AT-3273 which was trailing the two   apprehended Afghans.

After sometime, the said vehicle was intercepted near SDMC Toll, Kalindi Kunj, Delhi. During the search of onboard 16 bags, white crystalline material was found. This suspect chemical was checked using the narcotic field testing kit which revealed that 09 out of the 16 bags were containing contraband Methamphetamine. The contraband containing bags were weighed and the total weight was recorded to be approximately 311.4 Kgs.

The contraband was concealed in bags bearing markings of Silica, for Methamphetamine and Silica resemble each other in appearance and it makes almost impossible for a human eye to distinguish between the two. Various other chemicals and a glass container used for refining contraband were also subsequently recovered from the house of accused Mustafa.

Continuing with the operation, accused Rahimullah disclosed about more contraband kept in a car parked in Noida, UP. Accordingly, at his instance 1.09 Kg Methamphetamine and 5.31 Kg Heroin, in solid and liquid form, and 1.7 Kg Heroin coated dry fruits were also recovered from the boot of a white color Toyota Etios car, parked at Chainsukh Market, Raml Road, Village Accher, Greater Noida, UP.

MODUS OPERANDI: Mr. Hargobinder Singh Dhaliwal, Special Commissioner of Police, Special Cell, said,   the Methamphetamine being pushed into India is concealed in different legitimate export articles viz. silica gel, talc stone, gypsum powder, basil seeds etc. From the processing labs in Afghanistan, the contraband usually reaches a port of neighboring country and gets containerized for various seaport destinations in India.

Wherever reconstitution or purification is required, the contraband after exiting Indian seaports is transported to make shift factories based in MP, Punjab, Delhi  and Haryana. Local Indian associates of the master Afghan experts process the Methamphetamine/Heroin; various chemicals required for these processes are procured by network members from various chemical shops located in MP and Delhi. After the desired purity and strength is achieved, the contraband then gets pushed through a chain of peddlers to the end-consumer.

The finances so raised, after paying off the local conduits, are sent through Hawala channels to countries like Turkey, Portugal, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran etc. As per the preliminary findings, the busted syndicate has cogent linkages with established terrorist network, primarily situated abroad, which are being further investigated.