The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Key operative in drug smuggling remanded

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Jul 12, 2006

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Key operative in drug smuggling remanded

K.T. Sangameswaran

Narcotics Control Bureau says he was acting as conduit "between North and South India"

CHENNAI: A 35-year-old man from Pune, who enforcement authorities say was "acting as a conduit between North and South India" for narcotic drug smugglers, has been remanded to judicial custody in a case relating to the seizure of 15 kg of heroin at the Ramanathapuram bus stand in May this year.

On May 24, officers of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), south zonal unit, Chennai, intercepted Ahmad (38) of Sri Lanka and Irulandi (42), a resident of Ramanathapuram, at the Ramanathapuram railway station entrance when they were exchanging a bag. The bag was found to contain 15.6 kg heroin. Investigation revealed that the drug had been transported from Pune to Ramanathapuram via Kasargode to be smuggled to Sri Lanka. Both were arrested and remanded to judicial custody.

The NCB south zonal Director Shankar Jiwal said investigation revealed the Pune link allegedly involving one Shahid Akhtar Hussain Sheik. The NCB also came to know was that the narcotic drugs, brought from North India, was being handed over to operatives in Pune for it onward journey to South India, and then to Sri Lanka.

Following Shahid's arrest, the NCB sent a team to Mumbai and brought him to Tamil Nadu.

He told officials that he was in the smuggling activity for the past two years and supplied the material to different channels smuggling it to Sri Lanka.

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