Navi Mumbai: Two held with methaqualone worth Rs 7.8 lakh

Representational Image

Two persons have been arrested for alleged possession of 65.25 gm of methaqualone worth Rs 7.8 lakh in Navi Mumbai, police said on Tuesday, reported news agency PTI.

Acting on a tip-off, a police team conducted a raid at Ekta Nagar slum colony in Vashi on Monday afternoon and seized the contraband, an official from the APMC police station said, reported PTI.

The accused, Dileep Rathod (33) and Tahir Ali (26), have been arrested under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, he said, reported PTI.

The police are probing from where the banned substance was sourced and to whom the accused were planning to sell it, the official said, reported PTI.

In another case, police have arrested three Nigerian nationals from Maharashtra's Palghar district and seized banned drugs worth Rs 55.92 lakh from their possession, officials said on Sunday, reported PTI.
Based on a tip-off, the Tulinj police laid a trap on Saturday night and nabbed the three persons from a room at Pragati Nagar in Nalla Sopara area, a police release said, reported PTI.

The police seized from them 554.02 gm of mephedrone worth Rs 55,40,200 and 2.63 kg of ganja worth Rs 52,000, it said, reported PTI.

The three Nigerian nationals, in the age group of 36 to 38 years, were arrested and booked under provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, reported PTI.

They were produced before a local court which remanded them in police custody till November 30, the release said, reported PTI.

The Tulinj police had two days back also arrested two Nigerians, including a woman, and seized from them prohibited items worth Rs 1,05,485, it added, reported PTI.

Meanwhile, police have arrested two drug peddlers and seized 200 grams of mephedrone worth Rs 40 lakh from them in Mumbai's suburbs, an official said on Friday, reported PTI.

The seizure and arrest were made by the Anti-Narcotics Cell (ANC) of the Mumbai police from Khar and Santacruz in western suburbs during 'Operation All Out', conducted periodically to crackdown on criminals, drug peddlers and other offenders, reported PTI.

Searches under the operation were conducted on Tuesday evening, the official said, reported PTI.

A team apprehended the two accused when they came to sell mephedrone, a banned synthetic drug, to their customers, he said, reported PTI.

The duo was taken to suburban Bandra unit of the ANC and placed under arrest after interrogation, said the official, reported PTI.

So far this year, the ANC has registered 96 offences and arrested 199 drug traffickers. Also, drugs worth Rs 48 crore were seized by the cell in the last 11 months, he added, reported PTI.

(With inputs from PTI)