Mumbai: 4 selling drugs from capsized ship held

Police along the coast have been keeping an eye on people trying to sell drugs that washed ashore in August. Representation pic

The Pydhonie police arrested a group of four while they were attempting to sell one kilogram of charas. The drug is among the many contraband packets that were washed ashore in Maharashtra in August. The contraband was part of a consignment on a ship that capsized in the sea.

"The accused received one huge bag of charas from someone in Ratnagiri. The is from among the many packets that started washing ashore in August," said a police officer on condition of anonymity. Police manning the coast of Ratnagiri, Mumbai and Gujarat have been vigilant about people trying to sell drugs found back then.
According to the police, hundreds of kilograms of charas had washed ashore in Ratnagiri. Many of the packets were collected by villagers who attempted to sell them in different parts of the state.

The customs department seized around 250 kg of drugs between August 14 and 19 from areas such as Karde, Ladghar, Kelshi, Kolthare, Murud, Burondi and Borya in Ratnagiri district.

In the latest case, the Pydhonie police received an alert from reliable sources that two individuals would be present near Ghorari Mohallah in Pydhonie. Accordingly, on November 4, the police trapped Arafat Kazi, 26, and Shahrukh Mohammad Ali Tambu, 26 and seized a kilogram of charas worth R4 lakh from them.

The duo had brought the contraband from Ratnagiri and was going to sell it in bulk in Mumbai. "They just brought the one kilogram of drugs in a bag. No small pouches were made. They were going to sell the entire contraband to one person," said a police officer.

The duo's questioning revealed that they had bought the drugs from Faizal Ali Memon, 23, who was subsequently arrested from Panvel, Navi Mumbai. Memon admitted that he had purchased the drugs from Nahid Memon, 28, who hails from Chiplun, Ratnagiri. Following this, Nahid was questioned, and he said that he found the drugs in Ratnagiri when the packets had washed ashore.

"All four of them have completed their education and have private jobs. However, quick money attracted them to drug peddling. It was their first time trying to sell a drug. They have no prior criminal record," said an officer from Pydhonie police. All four had been booked under the relevant sections of the NDPS Act.