Mumbai: NCB busts interstate cartel smuggling banned cough syrup; five held

Representative image. Pic/Istock

The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has busted an interstate cartel involved in smuggling banned codeine-based cough syrup (CBCS) by arresting five persons and seized contraband worth Rs 50 lakh, an official said on Sunday.

Based on a tip-off, the NCB's Mumbai zonal unit initiated an operation against the cartel on Friday, he said.

After continuous surveillance, the NCB identified the key members of the syndicate, their roles, modus operandi, financial trails and various operational details, the official said.

As per a release issued by the NCB, the CBCS consignments were originally being diverted from Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh and booked on fake addresses and forged documents from Mughalsarai in the northern state to Pune.

The consignments were being received at Pune railway station and then dispatched to Mumbai at different locations to local traffickers and then to peddlers, it said.

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The kingpin of the cartel, who also owns medical shops in Mumbai, allegedly coordinated the whole network clandestinely and most of the syndicate members were unaware about his name, face and location, the official said.

The kingpin allegedly paid the Varanasi-based supplier using hawala and deposited cash through his customers to hide his identity, he said.

The NCB seized the consignment of 1,152 CBCS bottles, which were transported from Pune to Mumbai and arrested two persons, who received the consignment.

The probe agency also conducted searches at various locations in Mumbai and apprehended the kingpin from Mahalaxmi area, he said.

After this, NCB officials intercepted another member of the syndicate at Pune railway station when he arrived there to receive a consignment from the railway cargo and recovered 5,184 bottles, the official said.

During spot interrogation, the accused revealed that another illegal consignment was in transit to Pune, following which the NCB team seized 3,456 CBCS bottles on Saturday.

A probe team reached Mughalsarai (Uttar Pradesh) and apprehended a person involved in booking illegal consignments and seized another 3,456 CBCS bottles at Pune railway station on Sunday.

The NCB has seized 13,248 CBCS bottles and arrested five persons during the course of the operation so far, the official added.

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