Maharashtra: Thane crime branch busts inter-state marijuana supply racket, 9 held

The suspect in police custody

The Thane Crime Branch's Bhiwandi unit in Maharashtra has arrested nine people and dismantled an interstate marijuana syndicate supply chain, the officials said on Friday.

The arrested suspects include suppliers from Odisha, transporters, and local peddlers in Bhiwandi who allegedly supplied marijuana across the metropolitan city, the officials said.

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The police have seized a total of 553 kilograms of marijuana, worth approximately Rs 2.87 crore, an official said.

According to the police, the Bhiwandi Unit officials of the Thane Crime Branch recently received information about a group coming to Bhiwandi for a marijuana deal. This information was provided to Constable Amol Ingale of the Crime Branch. Consequently, a trap was laid by the officials at Ranjoli Naka on the Mumbai-Nashik Highway, where several individuals involved in the deal were detained.

The police arrested nine people, including Pati Ram Pangi alias Suraj (38), Arjun Shetty (20), and Amij Babu Sayed (33), all from Padva village in Korapur district, Odisha. These three obtained the drugs from Odisha and arranged for transport to Bhiwandi. The transport was handled by Salim Shaikh (30), Imran Shaikh (36), and Ramzan Ansari (25), who brought the marijuana in a truck with a changed number plate. They were about to deliver the drugs to Nazim Ansari (47), Amit alias Kiran Sonone (35), and Marks Mhaske (36), all residents of Thane district and local suppliers to peddlers across metropolitan areas.

Yogesh Awhad, Senior Police Inspector of the Bhiwandi Crime Branch, said, "After receiving the information, we laid a trap and detained the nine individuals who were present for the deal. The three from Odisha arrived by train, three came in the transport vehicle, and three from Thane were local suppliers who came to pick up the delivery. We arrested all nine and seized a substantial amount of drugs from them," Awhad stated.

Shivraj Patil, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Thane Crime Branch, confirmed the arrests and said, "We have arrested nine people and busted the interstate marijuana supply chain from Odisha to Bhiwandi. We have seized a total of 553 kilograms of marijuana and a truck, with an estimated worth of Rs 2.87 crore." Patil further added, "We are working to establish further links regarding the source of the drugs in Odisha and the network supplying across metropolitan areas including Mumbai, Thane, Navi Mumbai, and Mira-Bhayandar. Further action will be taken accordingly."

A case has been registered by the Bhiwandi Crime Branch under sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita 2023 and the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act.