Ahmedabad, October 22 — A joint operation by the Crime Branch units of Surat and Ahmedabad police on October 21 seized 4.531 kg of heroin and 2.498 kg of mephedrone (MD) from a Mahindra XUV near the Ramol toll plaza on the Ahmedabad–Vadodara Expressway, and arrested three men, officials said. The Ahmedabad City Crime Branch put the international market value of the drugs at Rs 25,65,35,440 — yaani about Rs 25.65 crore — and the total value of seized property, including the vehicle, at Rs 25,71,99,340.

Source: IANS via IANS Live

Police said the consignment was intended for delivery at six or seven locations across Gujarat, with the accused allegedly seeking to revive their distribution network and reconnect with local customers. The operation falls under the Ramol police station area.

Source: IANS via hi INDiA

Who was arrested

The three arrested men were identified by police as Tifel Nokhej, 44, a resident of New Delhi; Mohammed Imran Alvi, 38, from Meerut in Uttar Pradesh; and Kafeel Ahmed, 59, also of New Delhi. According to police, all three have prior criminal records. Police said Nokhej was allegedly linked to a 100-gram heroin case in Amritsar in 2014 and was accused of piloting a smuggling operation involving 300 kg of heroin in 2019; Alvi has been linked by police to cases including extortion, human trafficking and fraud; and Ahmed's record, according to police, includes 18.5 kg of charas seized in Jaipur, 100 grams of MD in Ahmedabad, and 3 kg of alprazolam in Rajasthan while out on parole. These are police allegations and prior-case details as stated by the police; the men have not been convicted in the present case.

The alleged supply chain

Ahmedabad Police Commissioner Anupam Singh Gahlaut told IANS the group generally used women and family members to move smaller quantities of narcotics, limiting its own exposure. "They use females and families to supply these narcotics to the peddlers or consumers. The arrested men had travelled to Gujarat themselves on this occasion because of the large consignment and their plans to rebuild their local links," he said.

Police alleged the heroin supply chain leads to Rahmat Gul, a resident of Kandahar in Afghanistan, with the drug allegedly delivered in Delhi's Lajpat Nagar area, while the mephedrone was allegedly sourced from Rajasthan. Gahlaut said the consignment could have been intended for the coming festive period, including New Year celebrations. Police said intelligence on the syndicate had been gathered for more than two years, beginning during Gahlaut's tenure as Surat Police Commissioner.

Source: Nation Press