Four held: Hashish worth Rs 22 crore seized

Belgaum, May 29 (UNI) An international drug racket, using air courier service to transport drugs, was busted with Belgaum police seizing 22 kg hashish worth Rs 22 crore in international market and arresting four persons in this connection.

Superintendent of Police S P Hemant Nimbalkar told reporters that police also seized a 0.45 mm revolver, 26 live cartridges, Rs 16 lakh in cash from them.

The arrested were identified as Akash Balachandra Desai, Asif Abdul Munaf Buthanwale of Karnataka, Mohd Ali alias Munna Latif Syed of Maharashtra and Sajjan Arvakar of Goa. They were using the air courier route to export hashish smuggled into India and had sent 30 to 35 shipments to nine countries including the US, UK, UAE and South Africa using this route during the last one month, he said.

Police got information on April 27 night that the gang was heading for Goa in a car. They intercepted the car near the city and nabbed the four. They led the police to the hideout to a house in the city where the contraband and other articles were seized. Police also seized a motorcycle, he added.

The official described it as an international drug racket since the whole consignment of drugs was shipped abroad. Consignments had been allegedly dispatched by a international drug gang, he said.

The modus operandi of this gang as described by the SP was that it prepared small packets of hashish covered with carbon paper to avoid detection of x-rays at air ports and putting them in between laminated photo frames sent the consignment through air courier from the city.

UNI