Mundra port drugs case: NIA arrests 2 Delhi residents in 3,000 kg heroin racket

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrested two persons in connection with a massive drug bust – a seizure of nearly 3,000 kg of heroin – at Gujarat’s Mundra port for which it carried out searches at 20 locations across the national capital and three states, the agency said on Thursday.

The raids were conducted on Wednesday for the drug racket revealed in September last year. The arrested – Harpreet Singh Talwar alias Kabir Talwar and Prince Sharma – are residents of Delhi and part of an international racket that had smuggled large quantities of heroin from Afghanistan for commercial purpose, an NIA spokesperson said, as cited by news agency PTI.

The agency conducted simultaneous searches at 20 locations – 14 in Delhi, three in West Bengal, two in Gujarat and one in Punjab – on Wednesday in connection with the case. The NIA said the arrests were made based on investigation so far and incriminating evidence obtained during the searches.

Mundra port drug bust case

The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence had seized 2,988 kg of heroin at the Mundra port in Gujarat on September 13 last year. The consignment was smuggled using the maritime route from Kandahar, Afghanistan via Bandar Abbas in Iran, the DRI had said.

The containers were initially declared to contain semi-processed talc stones and bituminous coal. However, upon detailed examination, the DRI officials seized 2,988kg of heroin from the two containers on September 17 and 19. Eight people, including four Afghan nationals, one Uzbek citizen and three Indians had been detained last year.

The latest arrests, the NIA said, were made based on investigation so far and incriminating evidence obtained during the searches.

“The accused persons were involved in import of narcotics through fake or shell import companies and further facilitated its transport to Delhi-based Afghan nationals involved in purification and distribution of heroin in many states, including Delhi, Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh,” the NIA spokesperson said.

The official said the agency’s investigation continues to unravel the entire supply chain and network of money laundering, drug distribution and other players involved in it.