NCB Gets More Power As Centre Directs States To Share Top 4-5 Narcotics Cases With Agency: Report

Centre has directed all Chief Secretaries, Home Secretaries, and DGP in all states and Union Territories to submit noteworthy narcotics-related cases with the bureau in a directive issued on Thursday.

Representational Image. (File Photo)

New Delhi: Centre has directed all states to hand over four to five notable cases to the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) by December 5 in a step that will reinforce the agency's jurisdiction, reported ANI.

The Centre has directed all Chief Secretaries, Home Secretaries, and Directors General of Police in all states and Union Territories to submit noteworthy narcotics-related cases with the bureau in a directive issued on Thursday, sources familiar with the situation told ANI.

3,000 Kg Of Heroin Seized In Mumbai Cruise Raid 

The action follows the seizure of around 3,000 kg of heroin from the Mundra port and the Mumbai cruise narcotics raid. 

Both of these incidents are being investigated by the NCB, in collaboration with other Central authorities such as the National Investigation Agency (NIA).

In October, the NIA raided five sites in Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR) in connection with the discovery of around 3,000 kg of narcotics at Gujarat's Mundra Port.

In connection with the recovery of semi-processed Talc stones with illegal pharmaceuticals supplied by Aashi Trading Company, searches were conducted at residential premises and godowns in Lajpat Nagar, Alipur, Khera Kalan in New Delhi and Noida.

Various incriminating papers, articles, and things were confiscated by the NIA during searches.

Series Of Raids

The NIA conducted the second in a series of raids in connection with the case on October 9. Previously, the agency conducted searches on the premises of the accused and suspects engaged in the import of semi-processed Talc stones with contraband in Chennai, Coimbatore, and Vijaywada.

The case involves the seizure of heroin at the Mundra Port in Gujarat. The narcotics were discovered hidden in an import shipment of 'Semi-processed Talc stones' from Afghanistan that had landed from Bandar Abbas Port in Iran.

Machavaram Sudhakaran, Durga P.V. Govindaraju, and Rajkumar P. are among those listed in the NIA FIR.

The Chennai-based business that was shipping the contraband was owned by Sudhakaran and Govindaraju. Govindaraju is the owner of Aashi Trading Company, which is registered in Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, and was importing talc from Hasan Husain Ltd.

Rajkumar, from Coimbatore, was working in Iran and "coordinating with overseas suppliers."

So far, nine persons have been detained in connection with the case. Four of them are Afghans, while one is of Uzbek origin.

The DRI was responsible for all of the arrests. The NCB, NIA, and the Enforcement Directorate are all investigating the matter at the same time.

The seizure on September 16 is reported to be one of India's largest single seizures, valued at about Rs 21,000 crore.

(With inputs from ANI)