Party drug nexus busted, DRI sniffs Bollywood links

The Department of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has busted a syndicate involved in smuggling party drugs (controlled drugs used in raves and other parties) to the US, Canada and European countries.

The Department of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has busted a syndicate involved in smuggling party drugs (controlled drugs used in raves and other parties) to the US, Canada and European countries.

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Sleuths suspect the syndicate may have been supplying these drugs for parties in Mumbai. Its suspected kingpin Nilesh Shukla, who allegedly has an elite clientele, is considered close to some Bollywood stars.

Besides Shukla, nine others have been arrested, including green card holder Firdosh Mukadam based in New York.

The DRI has seized around 300kg party drugs like ketamine, epherdrine, amphetamine, GG 249 (alprazolam), coringa, diga, carisoma, trama, tigra and lorga.

The seized drugs are worth R8crore in the international market. The DRI raided 13 places in Mumbai, Delhi, Ghaziabad and Baddi in Himachal Pradesh. These drugs were manufactured in a pharmaceutical factory in Baddi.

“The investigation is still on. I cannot divulge anything,” said RK Sharma, the additional director general of DRI’s Delhi zone.

According to sources, apart from party drugs, investigators have recovered around 160gm heroine and 2.5kg hashish.

They also recovered R14 lakh in Indian currency, $15,000 and £780 from Shukla’s residence.

Investigators have learnt that Shukla had earlier been arrested by Mumbai police and jailed for eight months.

The drugs were being exported via courier services in glucose packets, milk powder bags, tea bags and in bottles of aloe vera, manufactured by a popular yoga guru. The DRI has arrested owners and employees of the courier companies also.

Sources said these drugs were sent to Mukadam in the US and Raj Manjinder in the UK. The courier operators used to get Rs 20,000 for sending a kg of the drug to the US, while for UK the rate was £350 per kg.