Cops invoke MCOCA against 17 from inter-state drug trafficking racket

Thane police dismantled a major drug syndicate, arresting 13 of 17 suspects and seizing 115 kg of cannabis under MCOCA. Four remain at large.

Cops invoke MCOCA against 17 from inter-state drug trafficking racket

THANE: The police have busted an inter-state narcotics trafficking racket and applied stringent provisions of the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) against the 17 accused. While the Khadakpada police arrested 13 of the accused and seized 115 kg of cannabis from them in separate cases in August, they recently found that the accused belonged to the same drug syndicate. Four others of the gang are still being tracked down.

Earlier in August, the Khadakpada police had registered a case against 17 people belonging to a drug syndicate that had been actively dealing with cannabis, also known as Marijuana, weed, and ganga, for the past three years. Of the 17 accused, 13 have been arrested, and while the police have identified the remaining four, they are yet to be traced.

Police investigations revealed that the accused were engaged in the purchase, sale, and smuggling of narcotics to make illegal financial gains. The police added that the gang operated across Thane, Kalyan, Badlapur, Solapur, Pune, and other parts of Maharashtra, as well as the Visakhapatnam region, targeting young people and pushing them toward addiction and crime.

Atul Zende, deputy commissioner (Zone 3) of the Thane police, said, “The gang leader of the syndicate has been identified as Gufran Hannan Shaikh, 29, who allegedly managed operations along with 16 accomplices. After confirming that the accused were part of the same syndicate, they were booked under MCOCA and will be produced before a special MCOCA court for further legal proceedings.” Zende explained that the accused are being booked under the MCOCA since in July this year, the act was amended and narcotics-related offences were defined as ‘organised crimes’.

Zende said that from the 13 arrested so far, the police have seized 115 kilograms of ganja, two motor cars used for transportation, a Bullet motorcycle, an auto-rickshaw, an Activa scooter, an iron pistol, two live cartridges, and two walkie-talkie sets with chargers, all valued at approximately ₹70 lakh.

The police added that most of the arrested accused have a criminal past and several cases registered against each of them, ranging from rioting, robbery and other crimes like drugs trafficking, across Mumbai, Thane, Kalyan, Pune and Telangana.