HYDERABAD: Continuing their crackdown on drug peddlers, the sleuths of prohibition and excise department had tracked down on cocaine peddler Md Zeeshan Ali (23) alias Jack. On Friday evening he was found near a star hotel in Banjara Hills cracking a deal with a buyer. By the time the sleuths reached the spot, he managed to escape, but not before his photos were captured on CCTV cameras installed there which led to his arrest late evening.
It was based on the inputs gathered from him that the sleuths managed to arrest Nigerian national Bernard Wilson (26) alias Williams alias Noah Prank. Similar to Zeeshan, Bernard Williams was also caught while striking a deal outside Radisson Blue hotel in Banjara Hills. Assistant commissioner(state task force) Hari Krishna said Zeeshan used to organise events for DJ Nikhil Chinappa and Telugu singer Hemachandra, but the sleuths have not received any information on whether he used to sell drugs to customers at such events.
This operation is in continuation to the crackdown on psychotropic substances and narcotics abuse in Hyderabad. Besides cocaine, over 862 LSD blots, 35 grams of MDMA were seized and 12 persons, including the two caught on Friday, have been arrested in the last one week. When LSD blots were seized, it was learnt that even schoolchildren and college students were taking the psychotropic substance. However, in case of cocaine, the officials said since it is priced between `10,000 to `15,000 per gram, students might not be able to afford it.