Hyderabad airport a 'heroin transit point' with multiple seizures in 10 days?

Hyderabad, May 6 (IANS) Heroin, valued at Rs 125 crore, was seized at the Hyderabad International Airport in the last 10 days. However, the four accused, including three Tanzanian nationals, who have been caught with the contraband, had no information about the receivers.

According to central agencies, the 14 kg heroin seized in four different cases were meant to be transported to cities like Delhi and Mumbai.

The three Tanzanians and a fourth person of another nationality, were carrying the contraband from Johannesburg and Durban airports.

Hyderabad is only seen as a transit point. Since drugs were recently seized in huge quantities at Mumbai and Delhi airports, investigators believed that the gangs were looking at airports in Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and Chennai. However, with the recent seizures at Hyderabad airport, they may now move to other airports in the south.

Police Commissioner C.V. Anand told the media on Friday that they are coordinating with the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) and Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) to join the missing links in the investigations to identify the receivers.

Those arrested at the airport don't know who are the receivers. The agencies could not gather any information during their interrogation. "Somebody calls and takes the drugs from them. They have no clue or contact numbers of the receivers," Anand said.

The agencies feel that since there is demand for drugs in the country, it is being brought in huge quantity.

As per NCB figures, around 8-10 crore drugs addicts are there and their consumption of contraband has increased in last 10 years.

He called for coordination among central agencies like the NCB, DRI, ED, IB, Customs, CISF, state police and drugs department to control the international drug racket.

"We have started coordination from our side. Few days ago we spoke to DRI and NCB officials. We will call a meeting soon to join the missing links," he said.

Revealing details about the arrest of a four-member inter-state drugs gang, the Police Commissioner said that they are looking for Mahesh alias Rayees, a resident of Nalasopara in Mumbai, who is considered kingpin in the supply of heroin/brown sugar from Mumbai to the rest of his gang.

He suspects that Mahesh may be having links with international supply gangs. "Cases like these may help in joining the missing links (in international drug rackets)," he said.

The arrested include a man from Mumbai while the remaining are residents of Hyderabad. Around 225 gram heroin and 28 kg ganja valued at Rs 23.61 lakh have been recovered from them.