Interstate drug cartel busted by Delhi Police; 7 held, illicit substances worth over Rs 50 crore seized

Police said that a series of operations in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Haryana, dismantled a supply chain extending from local distributors to interstate traffickers.

New Delhi: The Delhi Police has arrested seven suspects linked with an alleged drug trafficking network spanning across five states and recovered around 48 kg of psychotropic substances valued at over Rs 50 crore in the black market, an officer said on Saturday.

Police said the syndicate allegedly procured raw materials used for manufacturing psychotropic medicines and supplied the banned drugs for repackaging and illegal sale without prescriptions across multiple states.

A series of operations in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Haryana, dismantled a supply chain extending from local distributors to interstate traffickers, police said.

The investigation began in September last year after police received specific inputs about the movement of a large consignment of psychotropic substances.

Acting on the information, police intercepted a suspect, identified as Anirudh Rai, from Delhi's Lajpat Nagar and recovered around 2 kg of powdered Tramadol, an opioid substance highly regulated under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, leading to the registration of a case.

Subsequent technical and human intelligence-based investigations revealed the involvement of a larger syndicate, following which multiple coordinated raids were conducted across several states, the senior officer said.

During the probe, police arrested Manoj Rai from Uttar Pradesh, whose interrogation led to the arrest of Kishan Pal alias Bhullar from Delhi.

A search of Bhullar's residence resulted in the recovery of 503 grams of Alprazolam (anti-anxiety drug), police said.

Further investigation led to the arrest of Krishan Tanwar, while another accused, Manoj Kumar from Haryana, was apprehended following a brief chase after his vehicle was intercepted near the Singhu border. Police recovered around 5.012 kg of Tramadol from his car, he said.

Subsequent raids in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand resulted in the arrest of two more accused, Parshant and Amit, along with the seizure of several kilograms of powdered psychotropic substances used in the manufacture of banned medicines. Further investigation is underway to trace additional members of the network and identify the suppliers.