A routine seizure of 112 grams of MD worth Rs 3.36 lakh from Avinash alias Sonu Iyer, 22, and Ravikant Ram, 23, in Nalasopara East on June 24 led the Mira-Bhayandar-Vasai-Virar (MBVV) Crime Branch Unit 4 to a massive interstate drug syndicate.
The crackdown resulted in the arrest of 21 accused and the seizure of 69.759 kg of mephedrone (MD), 260 litres of chemicals, lab equipment, and cash, with the total value of the seized material estimated at Rs 139 crore.
Crime branch officers in Mumbra during the investigation into the interstate MD network
The investigation revealed that drug syndicates are shifting operations away from urban hubs into isolated rural farmlands and rented sheds across smaller towns.
Small trail
Technical analysis and interrogation turned the Nalasopara bust into a major operation. The network used Innova car door panels to smuggle MD into Mumbai.
Among those arrested were professionals with high technical qualifications: Mohammad Haseeb Siddiqui alias Ijaz Merchant, 36, a DY Patil engineering graduate and former TCS employee caught in Kurla with 11.804 kg MD and Rs 18.70 lakh cash; and Rajnish Mishra, a BSc Chemistry graduate linked to a manufacturing lab in Uttar Pradesh.
Crime branch officers at the alleged MD manufacturing unit in Prayagraj
Police allege that Siddiqui became one of the major MD suppliers in Mumbai, procuring the drug from Uttar Pradesh and distributing it across the city and in other areas.
Secret labs
Officers uncovered a setup built on agricultural land at Sandhan village in Kutch, Gujarat, owned by Jumma Thakra and financed by ex-spa operator Moinuddin Patel. Shan Ghazali, Moinuddin Patel, Adnan Juneja, Dhavalpuri Goswami, Mohammad Bilal Malkani, Faizan Malkani, Shahnawaz Khan, Sohail Sheikh and Faizan Karnekar were involved in the operation.
The arrested members of the interstate drug syndicate squatting at the crime branch office. Pics/By Special Arrangement
In Prayagraj, UP, police raided a shed on farmland in Kosada Kala, seizing 52.932 kg MD and 260 litres of manufacturing chemicals along with heavy industrial equipment. Another lab setup was being planned in Neral, Raigad.
Gang links
The probe led to Kalyan, where Aryan Harun Syed alias Zalim, 25, was arrested for managing regional distribution. A police officer said, “Aryan’s relatives Ajmat Pathan and Rahmat Pathan, who operated the Zalim gang, are in jail, after which Aryan allegedly took charge.”
When police closed in, Zahid Sheikh alias Javed Bhai tried to dump chemicals along the Virar-JNPT highway, which were later recovered. Siddiqui worked with Moinuddin Sheikh alias Moin, who helped with distribution. Arrests of associates Rahim Pinjari and Syed Mushaid Ali in Jalgaon yielded another 4.911 kg of MD.
Urban to rural shift
Previous unit 4 op
20 arrested
5 MD labs busted
Rs 23+ crore MD seized
Current op
21 arrested
2 MD labs busted
Rs 139 crore seizure
Total Seized: 69.759 kg MD, 260L chemicals, cash, hardware
Investigating team
MBVV CP Niket Kaushik
Addl CP Sanjay Shintre
DCP Sandeep Doifode
Other senior officers
The 21 accused
Avinash Loknath Iyer, 22, Nalasopara East
Ravikant Omprakash Ram, 23, Nalasopara East
Shan Irfan Ghazali, 30, Colaba
Moinuddin Shabbir Patel, 28, Agripada
Adnan Razzak Juneja, 36, Chinchbandar
Dhavalpuri Shankarpuri Goswami, 33, Kutch, Gujarat
Mohammad Bilal Mohammad Yusuf Malkani, 30, Madanpura
Faizan Mohammad Yusuf Malkani, 33, Madanpura
Shahnawaz Dilawar Khan, 29, Kalyan
Sohail Salim Sheikh, 24, Karjat, Raigad
Faizan Nasuruddin Karnekar, 21, Karjat, Raigad
Zahid Hanif Sheikh, 35, Karjat, Raigad
Jumma Talab Thakra, 34, Kutch, Gujarat
Aryan Harun Syed, 25, Kalyan
Mohammad Haseeb Siddiqui, 36, Kurla West
Rahim Taher Pinjari, 28, Jalgaon
Syed Mushaid Ali Mumtaz Ali, 39, Jalgaon
Moinuddin Usman Badshah Sheikh, 24, Mumbra
Mohammad Asim Kasam Qureshi, 26, Nagpada
Rajnish Ramchandra Mishra, 30, Bhadohi, UP
Shivdhan Shambhunath Mishra, 28, Bhadohi, UP
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