SURAT: In two separate operations, police have arrested four persons in Gujarat's Surat, and seized from them mephedrone and opium worth more than Rs 20 lakh that were brought into the city for sale from Maharashtra and Rajasthan, an official said on Saturday.
Both the operations were carried out on Friday.
Acting on a tip-off, the city crime branch officials intercepted a car at a check post on Surat-Kadodara road and arrested three persons, who were found possessing 196.2 grams of mephedrone, or MD drug, worth Rs 19,62,200 in the local market, he said.
During their questioning, the accused trio - Imran Rashid, Imran Khan and Muaz Saiyed - said the contraband was procured from a dealer at Nalasopara near Mumbai, and smuggled into Surat in a four-wheeler, he added.
The three accused are history-sheeters, who had been arrested in the past for crimes such as attempt to murder and criminal intimidation, the police official said, adding that further investigation was underway to find out who were to receive the drugs.
In a separate operation carried out by Surat Special Operations Group (SOG), a man from Pali in Rajasthan was arrested and 383 grams of opium worth Rs 1,14,876 was seized from him.
Accused Champalal Parmar was involved in selling opium in Surat that he procured from suppliers in Rajasthan, police said.
The SOG said in a release that it was collecting information on the narcotic supply rackets being operated from Rajasthan.
All the accused have been booked under sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.
The city police have launched a special drive "No drugs in Surat city", officials said.