MBVV Police Bust Drug Racket In Mira Bhayandar, Seize 15 Kg Cocaine Worth ₹22 Crore; 'Drug Mule' Smuggling Suspected

Personnel from the crime branch unit (Zone I) attached to the Mira Bhayandar-Vasai Virar (MBVV) police claim to have busted a major drug racket which was operating in the twin-cities. While 14.868 kilograms of cocaine (in powder form and capsules) valued at more than Rs. 22.33 crore in the international market was seized, three people including two African nationals were arrested from Bhayandar, Mira Road and Vasai.

According to the police, they received a tip-off about a woman-Sabina Nazir Shaikh (42) who was in possession of drugs. After confirming the authenticity of the information, a team led by police inspector- Pramod Badhaakh under the supervision of DCP (crime)-Avinash Ambure swooped down on her tenement in the Motilal Nagar area of Bhayandar (east) and recovered 11.830 kg cocaine worth more than 17.74 crore.

During interrogations, Sabina revealed the source of consignment, following which the team raided two apartments located in the Hatkesh area of Mira Road and Ever Shine City in Vasai which led to the further recovery of 2.604 kg (worth more than Rs.3.90 crore) and 433 grams cocaine (worth Rs.64.98 lakh) respectively.

While Andy Ubabudike Onyinse (45)- hailing from Lagos State in Nigeria was arrested from Mira Road his accomplice Christina Enjei (32) who had arrived in the country from Yaoundé city which is the capital of Cameroon in Central Africa were taken into custody from Vasai. 

Apart from seizing drugs and four mobile phones, the team also recovered Indian currency amounting Rs. 2.84 lakh, Nigerian currency Naira (174 notes of 1000 denomination and 48 notes of 500 denomination) worth around 10,000 INR and 1,400 USD (1.19 lakh INR) from the possession of the trio against whom an offence have been booked under the relevant sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985.

Apart from trying to find the source of the drugs and their potential buyers, the police were also checking the documents of the foreign immigrants to ascertain if their stay in the county was validated or not.

The operation was conducted under the guidance of Police Commissioner, MBVV, Madhukar Pandey and his team. This marks a significant breakthrough in the fight against narcotics trafficking in the region. Authorities have confirmed that further investigation is underway to uncover the full extent of the network and ensure that all those involved are brought to justice.

“Drug Mule” Angle Being Probed.

Not ruling out a human carrier angle into the haul, DCP (crime)-Avinash Ambure said, “The action is in line with our zero-tolerance policy against drugs. With the recovery of 268 cocaine filled capsules we strongly suspect that the drugs might have been smuggled into the country via human trafficking. We are probing this angle.” Drug mules (carriers) are passengers who swallow drug-filled capsules to avoid detection during checking by the customs department at airports.

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