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

The Thane Crime Branchs Bhiwandi unit in Maharashtra has arrested nine people and dismantled an interstate marijuana syndicate supply chain the officials said on FridayThe arrested suspects include suppliers from Odisha transporters and local peddlers in Bhiwandi who allegedly supplied marijuana across the metropolitan city the officials saidThe police have seized a total of 553 kilograms of marijuana worth approximately Rs 287 crore an official saidAccording 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 MumbaiNashik Highway where several individuals involved in the deal were detainedThe 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 areasYogesh 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 statedShivraj 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 287 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 MiraBhayandar Further action will be taken accordinglyA 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