Rs 1,000 crore drug bust: Cops seize 100 kg Fentanyl from Vakola, arrest 4
Fentanyl, also known as the ‘horror drug’, is often mixed with substances like cocaine or heroin and is consumed either via an injection, patch or nasal spray (Representational Image)
In a major bust, the Anti-Narcotics Cell of the Crime Branch arrested four men for allegedly possessing 100 kg Fentanyl, a banned drug, worth an estimated Rs 1,000 crore.
Fentanyl is an opioid used as a pain medication, especially for cancer patients. It is also made illegally and used as a recreational drug, often mixed with heroin or cocaine.
Acting on a tip-off, the Azad Maidan unit of the ANC laid a trap and arrested the four men with the banned substance from Vakola in Santacruz (E) on Wednesday.
The accused were identified as Salim Ismail Dhala (52), Chandramani Tiwari (41), Sandeep Tiwari (38) and Dhanshyam Ramraj Saroj (43). The Fentanyl was stored in four drums and kept at the back of a brand-new silver Tata Nexon SUV.
According to officials, Salim was previously arrested in drug-related cases, Sandeep works for a private firm and his brother Chandramani owns a mobile shop in Kandivali. Dhanshyam was Sandeep’s driver.
All four accused were booked under relevant sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (NDPS) and produced in court, which and remanded to police custody till January 1.
The drug samples, meanwhile, were sent to Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) in Kalina for inspection.
The men were reportedly planning to handover the Fentanyl to a foreigner, who was to export it to the US and other countries where it fetches a high value. One kg of the drug reportedly sells for Rs 10 crore in the international market.
Cops are still trying to ascertain the source of the opioids.
In 2016, more than 20,000 deaths occurred in the United States due to overdoses of fentanyl and fentanyl analogues, earning it the name ‘horror drug’.
