NEW DELHI: A 48-year-old man was arrested for allegedly storing and transporting banned pharma drugs and prohibited foreign cigarettes from southwest Delhi, police said on Tuesday.
Operation linked to Dubai-based kingpin using social media apps for communication. A total of 83,090 tablets of banned pharma drugs (Alprazolam and Zolpidem) and 26,000 packets of prohibited foreign cigarettes without legal warnings or MRP recovered, they said.
Police got a tip-off regarding certain international cargo courier service operators in the Mehram Nagar area who were involved in supplying prohibited narcotic medicine tablets and imported cigarettes.
The police examined CCTV footage of the area and identified the suspect's location in Mehram Nagar. On May 11, a trap was laid. Around 7.30 pm, a person was seen exiting the building who was questioned where he revealed his identity as Sanjay Kumar Pandey, a resident of Jaunpur district in UP. During the search, a large number of cartoons containing prohibited narcotic medicine tablets and imported cigarettes were recovered from the premises, a senior police officer said.
A huge quantity of contraband was found, including 83,090 tablets (1MG each) of banned pharmaceutical drugs (Alprazolam and Zolpidem) and 26,000 packets of prohibited foreign cigarettes, which did not bear the mandatory health warning or MRP as required under the COTPA Act, were recovered from the premise, the officer said.
He admitted that they do not have a licence or medical prescriptions for the sale, import, export, or storage of the said items in Delhi and NCR. Sanjay also stated that he came to Delhi in 2025 and his brother Pramod Pandey helped him establish a business of international cargo and courier services at Mehram Nagar. Currently, Pramod has set up his business in Dubai and is absconding in other NDPS-related cases.
The accused came in contact with Joginder, who was already working with Pramod in the field of international cargo and courier services through his office. Joginder is also involved in the illegal business of prohibited narcotic medicine tablets and imported cigarettes.
Pramod communicates with both Sanjay and Joginder through social media apps for the supply and delivery of these prohibited items. As per Pramod’s instructions, they handed over the banned narcotic medicine tablets and imported cigarettes to people reporting at their secret location in Mehram Nagar, the officer said.
They secretly sent/supplied the banned narcotic medicine tablets and imported cigarettes concealed in boxes of spices and clothes through air cargo from India to Dubai, Australia, and the USA. After the supply, Pramod received the profit in foreign currency in Dubai.
In 2010, Sanjay came to Delhi in search of business. During that time, he started supplying prohibited medicines through local chemists and gradually became familiar with the entire supply chain of such medicines. In this illegal trade, his elder brother Pramod supported him. Sanjay used to supply these prohibited medicines at high rates, police said.
In 2011, he was arrested by the Narcotics Control Bureau, Delhi, with a large quantity of prohibited medicines and was sent to jail. After getting bail, he shifted to Mumbai where he was again nabbed with drugs and was sent to jail. Later in 2025 with the help of Pramod and Joginder, he started a business of international cargo and courier services at Mehram Nagar, police said, adding that further investigation is underway.