How cops nailed Mumbai's top 20 narco suppliers

In a huge victory in the fight against drugs after a vast investigation across the city in the past six months the AntiNarcotics Cell ANC has arrested 23 main operators that distributed narcotics to peddlers and facilitators midday has obtained a comprehensive list of these 23 key drug operators The ANC has compiled valuable information regarding their operational territories and affiliated gang members and dismantled their illicit operations within the city The chief of Mumbai Police has emphasised that eliminating the drug scourge from our city remains their utmost concern as it poses a significant threat to our collective futureANCrsquos total drug disposal in one year is 3500 kg worth Rs 5000 croreUnder the guidance of Mumbai Police Commissioner Vivek Phansalkar and Joint Commissioner Crime Lakhmi Gautam the AntiNarcotics Cell ANC has conducted a largescale operation in the city over the past six months This operation primarily targeted key drug operators resulting in the apprehension of 97 individuals and seizure of drugs worth Rs 25 crore Through thorough investigations the ANC has identified 23 of these apprehended individuals as the primary operators responsible for overseeing various territories within the cityThese 23 accused individuals play a significant role in supplying drugs to peddlers and facilitators who subsequently distribute them among the predominantly youthful consumer base of the cityrdquo Our primary objective was to apprehend these operators and dismantle their operations thereby reducing the availability of synthetic drugs within the cityrdquo stated an officer Below is a compilation of the 23 primary operators in the city and their areas of operation midday has procured the photos of 20 of themSalman KhanAs per the ANC Khan operated as a primary supplier in Bandra Kurla Complex He was involved in acquiring large quantities of mephedrone MD which he would distribute in smaller amounts to his network of peddlers and facilitators on a daily basis The consignments were sourced from the outskirts of the city Khan originally from Faizabad in Uttar Pradesh has been engaged in the narcotics trade for several years often adopting covert tactics to evade law enforcement agencies In March this year he was apprehended by the ANC with a significant seizure of 486 kg of Mephedrone valued at approximately Rs 972 croreThe other main operatorsSuleman GhachiApprehended by the ANC in March he was discovered in possession of 378 grams of mephedrone valued at R76 lakh His operational territory was Mahim and Bandra Ghachi would acquire mephedrone in large quantities from the outskirts of the city and store it for distribution among his gang members These gang members would further supply it to the younger population near schools colleges and slums in the vicinityIrfan Ibrahim ShaikhIdentified as the primary operator in the Jogeshwari and Andheri East areas Shaikh was apprehended by the ANC in April During his arrest 350 gm mephedrone valued at Rs 70 lakh were seized from him Shaikh was involved in procuring mephedrone from the outskirts of the city and subsequently distributing it among a network of smallscale peddlers These peddlers would then cater to the local consumers within a designated areaRamesh Vijay ParmarParmar the primary operator in Goregaon had a sourcing network that spanned Bharuch in Gujarat and Hyderabad In June this year the ANC apprehended him seizing 255 gm of mephedrone valued at Rs 51 lakh from himArbaz Hamid ShaikhShaikh a significant supplier of mephedrone in Vikhroli was taken into custody by the ANC in May The arrest yielded a seizure of 330 gm mephedrone valued at R66 lakh Shaikh also obtained the narcotic from the outskirts of the city contributing to the flow of illicit substances in the targeted areaBlessing OkonkwoA Nigerian national she operated as a prominent figure among the key operators in Dharavi and Bandra She specialized in sourcing bulk quantities of mephedrone from Nalasopara and distributing it to her Indian counterparts who served as smallscale peddlers Okonkworsquos activities came to an end when she was apprehended by the ANC in January this year The arrest resulted in the seizure of 610 gm MD valued at approximately Rs 122 crore It was discovered that Okonkwo had been residing in India with an expired visaKhatamuddin Mohuddin SayyadA notable key operator he had a significant presence in Dharavi and Sion Despite previously being pursued by local law enforcement and temporarily driven out of the city Sayyad continued to operate in the area Shockingly some of his family members were also involved in the drug supply chain The ANC apprehended him once again in December last year The arrest resulted in the seizure of 500 gm mephedrone valued at Rs 1 crore Sayyadrsquos sourcing network extended to Gujarat and BiharAltamesh ShaikhShaikh another prominent key operator held a significant position in Dharavi Asiarsquos largest slum as well as certain parts of Mahim He had a wellestablished network for procuring contraband from Palghar in large quantities which he would then distribute within his operational territory through the assistance of peddlers Shaikhrsquos illicit activities were curtailed when the ANC apprehended him in January this year The arrest led to the seizure of 200 gm MD valued at R40 lakhMohammad Sayeed QureshiQureshi held a central role as the primary operator in the Nagpada and Pydhonie in South Mumbai He established a sourcing network in Gujarat enabling him to acquire synthetic drugs in large quantities Subsequently Qureshi distributed these substances to the members of his gang who facilitated the supply chain to consumers within the SoBo region In March this year the ANC apprehended Qureshi resulting in the seizure of 300 gm MD valued at R60 lakhManohar Mali and Shoebrao Shafi KhanAccording to the ANC Mali and Khan are significant suppliers of codeine cough syrup CCS in Mumbai Their primary areas of operation include Palghar Vapi and Bhiwandi The accused used to obtain the illicit syrup from Gujarat Karnataka and Himachal Pradesh In February this year the ANC apprehended them seizing 84 kg codeine cough syrup CCS valued at R5 lakh CCS being affordable is predominantly distributed in the slum areas of the cityAzhar Akhtar KhanKhan played a central role as an operator in the densely populated and Eastern Mumbai suburbsincluding Shivajinagar Mankhurd Govandi and Deonar His modus operandi involved procuring CCS in bulk from Palghar and distributing it to peddlers who then supplied it to consumers This suburban region experiences a significant number of crimes including murder and attempted murder In many cases the police have discovered that the perpetrators committed these crimes under the influence of various drugs The consumption of drugs such as MD and CCS is prevalent in the area due to their affordability and their ability to produce a strong effect He was arrested in January with 14 kg CCS bottlesAmol Vidhate and Ram lingamVidhate and Lingam are prominent suppliers and operators based in Dongri and Byculla Their operations primarily involve the procurement of Codeine cough syrup CCS from Himachal Pradesh However their activities came to an end last year in December when they were apprehended by tthe ANC The ANC intercepted them with a substantial haul of 500 kg of CCS bottles valued at R23 lakhRushikesh HadwaleHadwale a graduate in Bachelor of Business Management BBM held a pivotal role as a supplier of LSD within the city His operations primarily centered around the Marol and Andheri areas However his illicit activities came to a halt in May this year when he was apprehended The ANC seized 522 dots of LSD during the arrest with an estimated value of R5220 lakh The ANC states that LSD is a highly soughtafter party drug with strong effects and in this case it was sourced internationally through an international courier Hadwale primarily distributed LSD at upscale parties within the western suburban regionNihal PatdiyaPatdiya a significant supplier of Hydroponic Weed procured from the USA operated in the Kandivli area He catered to the demand for this highprofile drug ensuring its availability to interested parties In April the ANC apprehended him During the arrest law enforcement seized 280 gm weed with an estimated value of R28 lakhPriyank MehtaAccording to the ANC Mehta is a significant operator involved in the distribution of charas operating primarily in the Charkop area He was apprehended by the ANC in April Law enforcement seized 1230 kg charas during the arrest which has an estimated value of R37 lakhNavin JhaJha a significant operator in the city was involved in the distribution of charas with his operations centered in Jogeshwari West He used to procure charas from West Champaran in Bihar He was also arrested by ANC this year Law enforcement seized 115 kg charas during the arrest valued at R3045 lakhAbdul Salam Najim Shaikh Abdul Razzak and Gulsher GaurThis group of four was also apprehended by the ANC for their involvement in operating a drug supply network from Palghar They supplied Afghan heroin to peddlers in Mumbai The group would procure the heroin from Rurki in Himachal Pradesh In December last year the ANC arrested the group and seized 355 gm heroin valued at Rs 142 croreSalim PappadPappad was apprehended by the ANC in March this year During his arrest 378 gm of MDMA or ecstasy with an estimated value of R76 lakh was seized According to the ANC Pappad played a significant role in the illegal drug trade in Dongri and Byculla He was responsible for procuring synthetic drugs from the outskirts of Mumbai and had a network of approximately 45 peddlers working for him to distribute the contraband to consumerslsquoOur utmost priorityrsquoldquoEradicating the drug menace from our city remains our utmost priority Our specialized teams and local police stations have been diligently instructed to maintain a vigilant eye on peddlers and distributors taking decisive action against themrdquo stated Commissioner Phansalkar He added ldquoWe have also directed our efforts towards curtailing drug supplies near schools and colleges resulting in the apprehension of multiple syndicates that have been targeting our youth By dismantling their networks we aim to disrupt the major suppliers and distributors in the region In addition to our enforcement measures we are actively running various awareness campaigns to highlight the detrimental effects of drug consumption It is crucial to emphasize that drug abuse not only devastates an individualrsquos health but also profoundly impacts their entire familyrdquoRs 25 croreWorth of the drugs seized in the six months of the probe