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Security drives drug deliveries out of the city
Police security was stepped up after the November 26-29 terrorist attack on the city, with the result that drug dealers now call customers outside the city when large quantities are to be delivered, reports Megha Sood.
Police security was stepped up after the November 26-29 terrorist attack on the city, with the result that drug dealers now call customers outside the city when large quantities are to be delivered.
“We have observed a new trend since the terrorist attack,” Assistant Commissioner of Police of the Anti-Narcotics Cell (ANC) Girish Koyende said. “Now drug sellers have selected small pockets outside the city to sell large quantities of drugs.”
Bucking the trend was a large haul in the city on Friday, when the ANC arrested five people from Nagpada for dealing in drugs.
At the time, the ANC was surprised to seize drugs worth Rs 5 crore in the international market.
The arrested were identified as Dinesh Vishwakarma (26), Mansingh Rajput (35), Kishor Rathod (43), Sitaram (35) and a woman, Ishtar, whose age was not available.
Koyende said the first four were dealers who sold to peddlers and not directly to users, but Ishtar, who is in Pydhonie these days, was a dealer-cum-peddler.
“It is strange these people brought five kilograms of brown sugar inside city limits,” Koyende said. “Peddlers now indulge in cross-border trafficking and store large quantities of drugs in places like Igatpuri, Nashik, Vasai and Raigad district.”
The officer said peddlers nowadays entered the city only with small quantities of drugs, just about enough for it to be a bailable offence.
“These peddlers keep charas, brown sugar or heroin in their pockets to sell to customers without fear of arrest,” added Koyende.
The ANC, now busy finding out who the supplier of the Nagpada drugs was, had identified two big dealers in the city, Abrar and Israr.
