Delhi police arrests 2 afghans with drugs worth Rs 1,200 crore

New Delhi, Sept 7: Afghanistan has become a massive drug hub and now it is starting to impact India. In an operation led by the New Delhi Range team of Delhi Police’s Special Cell, two Afghanistan nationals have been arrested for facilitating a massive consignment of methamphetamine in the country.

 

 

 

Busting drugs originating from Afghanistan is no new thing. In the past, the Delhi Police have seized big consignments of heroin. However, this is the first time a police agency has busted Afghan-origin meth, weighing 312.5 kg which is priced at Rs 1,200 crore in the international market.

 

 

 

According to a 2020 report by EU4Monitoring Drugs, it has been highlighted how Afghan drug lords are turning to a locally found shrub ephedra for manufacturing ephedrine, a chemical used to produce methamphetamine. Reports also suggest that post the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, a ban was imposed on the cultivation of ephedra, locally known as oman or bandak, that has been growing wild in the central highlands of Afghanistan since 2016. However, the ban has led to an increased demand for the drug. According to a report published in AlcisGeo, authored by Dr. David Mansfield, the Taliban smartly initiated a ban depending on the timing of cultivation and harvesting of ephedra to manipulate the prices of meth in the international market. Dr. Mansfield also mentions that post the ban, methamphetamine traders transporting ephedra from Ghor to Bakwa, from where the drug is transported further, pay the Taliban $5,700 per truck. This is an increase in income for the Taliban who used to earlier tax meth traders ($1000 per truck) in the region before the change of regime. It is also important to note that meth can be easily extracted from ephedrine in a low-cost method in ephedra plants. Satellite imagery by AlcisGeo in Dr. Mansfield’s report also shows how traders are stocking ephedra post-ban. Sources in Delhi Police say that they have been monitoring the change where meth is gradually replacing heroin. This is why, in order to thoroughly investigate the emerging use of meth as the fulcrum of the evolving narco-terror matrix, an FIR was registered under the relevant sections of UAPA, and an investigation was taken up. The team behind the drug bust got inputs that a known drug lord, operating from abroad, would be transiting Delhi. On September 3, the police got a tip-off that two Afghan nationals were reaching Delhi in a luxury car carrying some contraband.

 

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The duo, identified as Mustafa Stanikza (23) and Rahimullah Rahim (44), were arrested from Meethapur Road, near Kalindi Kunj Metro Station, in New Delhi. 1.360 kgs of heroin were recovered from the possession of Mustafa while another 1.040 kgs of heroin were recovered from the possession of Rahimullah.