The Narcotics Control Bureau of Mumbai arrested Sufiyan Khan, a key member of a drug syndicate on Wednesday morning after a prolonged operation to trace him.
Khan had been continually changing his hideouts and phone numbers and had gone into hiding since the Narcotics Control Bureau busted a drug syndicate in Navi Mumbai and seized 31.5 kg mephedrone, a synthetic stimulant drug, last month.
Khan was apprehended from a lodge in Vashi on July 15 and is presently under the custody of NCB. Described by the Bureau as an important member of the drug syndicate, Khan used to operate from Sewree area in Mumbai and has been involved in several police cases.
Further investigation is on. Earlier, on June 28, in a major breakthrough towards curbing illicit drug trafficking in Mumbai and the adjoining areas, the NCB seized 31.5 kgs of mephedrone and arrested three accused in the case. As per officials, the team had seized 10 kilograms of mephedrone from the group operator Musharaf JK, followed by another seizure of 10.5 kilograms of mephedrone from a woman member of the gang. The police had also seized 11 kilograms of mephedrone from another gang member Saif.
A total of Rs 69,13,400 in cash was also seized from Nauseen, the woman member of the gang. The drug racket was operating in Nagpada and Dongri areas of Mumbai and the syndicate had plans to expand in other parts of the city.
As per an official, the NCB had received information that a Mumbai-based syndicate was involved in a huge-trafficking racket and the Nagpada-Dongri based network operated by Musharaf JK was identified during an inquiry.
Due to extensive elusive maneuvers by the syndicate, officials said it was difficult to detect the exact location of the drug peddlers.
Painstaking efforts and round-the-clock surveillance by NCB-Mumbai led to the identification of a few other key associates in the case.
WITH INPUTS FROM ANI
