THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The arrest of Maldivian nationals from the city while trying to smuggle 17 kg hashish oil out of the country was the culmination of several months of surveillance placed on the key accused, Shaniz Maheer. Various agencies, including the Narcotics Control Bureau, were part of the operation.
Shaniz is said to be an expert in smuggling contraband and has been tracked by foreign agencies. Narcotics Control Bureau sources told Express that Shaniz had visited India once before. Then, he was suspected to have successfully smuggled drugs to his country. The field officers got wind of his activity during his first visit and placed him under watch.
The arrest was effected during his second visit to Thiruvananthapuram.
Sources said Shaniz’s name popped up during intelligence operations conducted in certain areas where narcotics like ganja were cultivated. “We had doubts on this person and collected details, like his passport number, so that we could have a detailed probe the next time he landed,” revealed an NCB sleuth.
When Shaniz landed here on June 1, his name and passport number were already with the security officers at the Trivandrum International Airport. They in turn alerted the police and the NCB officers who then mounted surveillance on the person.
However, Shaniz’s does not show he had visited India before. Investigating agencies felt one of the two passports - both with the same number - was forged.
NCB zonal director A Bruno, who flew to the city from Chennai to make a report, said the involvement of foreign nationals was a matter of concern because the drug was heading towards the international market and that would have created a bad impression about the country. “If the stuff reaches a foreign nation and is then caught, they would get to know that the material was sourced from India. That would be disastrous to the country’s image,” he said.
As per sources, the seized material is expected to fetch a huge sum once sold in the international market. “The price will go up further if it’s heading to those countries where the supply is less and the demand huge, like certain West Asian countries,” sources said.
In European markets, one gram of hash oil can fetch USD 100 to 150. “The price goes up depending on the quality of the oil,” an officer with the Police Department said. “To make 1 kilo of hash oil, a minimum of 10 kg ganja is needed. Extraction of the oil is a tough job and the risk is higher. So the price will automatically go up,” he said. NCB officers said plants grown in an acre can give 10 kg of ganja. “Seventeen kg of hash oil means the area of cultivation would run into several acres,” he said.
The Excise Department had recently seized 10 kg of hash oil sourced from a location near Anakapalle in Andhra. Though NCB and the Excise are yet to correlate the two cases, it has been assumed the material was sourced from the same area. NCB’s classified data had revealed ganja cultivation is rampant in 12 districts across the country.