Lagatar24 Desk
Mumbai, Oct 7: After the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), Mumbai, confiscated 60 kg of mephedrone narcotic valued more than Rs 120 crore, six people, including a former Air India pilot, were detained. Drugs were seized in Gujarat and Mumbai.
Sohail Gaffar Mahida, a former Air India pilot, and Mithi Pichaidas, who was previously detained by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), have been named as the cartel’s kingpin. From 2016 to 2018, Sohail Gaffar Mahida worked as a pilot before later resigning due to illness.
In response to a tip, NCB discovered approximately 50 kg of MD pharmaceuticals stashed away in a Mumbai godown.
“Acting on an input, NCB recovered approx 50 kg of MD drugs concealed in a godown in Mumbai. Two people including the kingpin of the cartel arrested. Both the arrested accused are from Mumbai,” said SK Singh, Deputy Director General, of NCB.
“One of those arrested in Jamnagar has been identified as Sohail Ghaffar, who was a pilot with Air India from 2016-18. Preliminary probe revealed that both seizures have common linkages. Value of total seized (60 Kg) MD drug is approx 120 crore,” he added.
#UPDATE | NCB seized 60 kgs of high-quality Mephedrone (MD) worth approximately Rs 120 crores, busts syndicate and apprehends six persons including the kingpin from multiple cities: NCB pic.twitter.com/R2njqT4iyG
— ANI (@ANI) October 7, 2022
Earlier on October 3, agents from the NCB’s Mumbai zonal section and Delhi headquarters carried out a search in Jamnagar and confiscated 10 kg of mephedrone.
Sanjay Singh, the NCB’s deputy director general, was quoted by PTI as saying that the move was done in response to specific intelligence obtained by the Naval Intelligence unit in Jamnagar, Gujarat.
