BENGALURU: In cross-country operations, the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has unearthed an international drug racket, which feeds into the demand of banned drugs in metros like Mumbai, Bengaluru and Delhi. The anti-drug raids conducted under the Narcotic Drugs & Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act have also exposed the inter-connection of suppliers in the three cities, which have huge demand for contraband party drugs, especially MDMA, LSD and Bud or curated marijuana. “Payment for the contraband, which have reportedly been smuggled from the US and Canada, is made through cryptocurrency on the darknet,” said NCB sources.
The operations in Mumbai exposed links among Mumbai, Goa and Bengaluru, when NCB, Bengaluru zonal unit, intercepted F Ahmed – a driver with a prominent resort at Calangute in Goa – who had reportedly “supplied contraband narcotic drugs to a prominent receiver in Bengaluru, who has links with some celebrities”, an officer said.
Last week, the NCB had busted a drug trafficking racket in Bengaluru, where “some prominent musicians and actors” were reportedly involved, and had arrested three people and seized a huge cache of MDMA tablets and LSD blots from them, along with Rs 2 lakh in cash.“Ahmed was intercepted, and on interrogation, revealed that he had supplied drugs to someone in Bengaluru, who has links with some celebrities,” the officer said.
In Delhi, NCB officers seized 3.5 kg of Bud, which was allegedly “smuggled from the US and was to be sent to Mumbai. The consignee was reportedly misguided that the consignment was some legal stuff sourced from America”, he said.In another operation, the NCB seized a cache of contraband drugs in Mumbai, which was sourced from Canada and destined for Goa. “Bud is primarily sourced from the US and Canada, and has a huge market in Mumbai’s underbelly. The street price of bud is over Rs 5,000 per gram. Prices depend on demand,” the officer added.