Chandigarh, December 12: The Punjab Police has cracked down on yet another Delhi-based multi-crore international synthetic drug racket with the arrest of fiveDelhiand HP-based persons. The unveiling of this Delhi-based international drug racket follows close on the heels of neutralizing of the Delhi-based racket controlled by kingpin Dev Behl.

Disclosing this here today, Mr. Dinkar Gupta, Additional DGP/ Law & Order said that this important and major break-through in the drive against drug trafficking follows systematic and meticulous investigations by the Punjab  Police with the objective of exposure of drug networks in a complete and end-to-end manner from source of supply to the distribution network. He informed that the Punjab Police had started a two-tier interrogation of drug smugglers from October 14 onwards, with the smugglers being questioned firstly by the district police, followed by sustained interrogation by officials of the State Special Operations Cell (SSOC) in the Joint Interrogation Centerat Amritsar.

So far, over 100 smugglers have been interrogated. These interrogations have yielded valuable information about the various cogs in the different drug networks so as to enable the Punjab Police to smash these drug networks in an end-to-end manner, from source of supply to the distribution network. He said that the focus was not limited to the State ofPunjab. Networks operating in other parts of the country were also being detected and action being taken. This racket was the second successive Delhi-based synthetic drug racket busted in a short time by the Punjab Police, he added.

Mr. Gupta revealed that investigations into the Delhi-based multi-crore synthetic drug racket have revealed a new trafficking route being used for pumping synthetic drugs into North America throughMyanmarandChinautilizing Golden Triangle-based links.  Punjab Police has made five arrests fromNew Delhiand HP, including that of aMyanmarnational and recovered large quantity of precursor chemicals, and drugs worth over Rs. 200 crores in the international market. The arrested persons includes Suresh Kumar @ Mainga r/o Ram Lubhaya – Manager of Gagret- based factory in Himachal Pradesh- arrested from HP on December 7, 2013, Varinder Singh @ Raja s/o Jaswant Singh r/o 98 Vikas Puri, New Delhi- base in Rangoon, Myanmar- arrested from New Delhi on December 8, 2013, Hrang Tin Khara @ Adam Zanniat @ Robert s/o Biakzama r/o H.No. W-2/21, Ground Floor, Badala Vikas Puri, New Delhi- base in Klimou , Myanmar- Myanmar  national – arrested from New Delhi on December 10, 2013, Rajesh Kumar Bansal s/o Gora Lal Bansal r/o A-2/73, Sector 3, Rohini, New Delhi- arrested from New Delhi on December 12, 2013 and Ajay Jain s/o Amrit Lal r/o 35-C, Hasab Vihar, Sector 9, Rohini, New Delhi- arrested from New Delhi on December 12, 2013.

Mr.Gupta said that conducting systematic and meticulous investigations, the Punjab Police zeroed onto Suresh Kumar and uncovered a pharmaceutical factory in Himachal Pradesh (HP) being used for manufacture of synthetic drug ICE (M-amphetamine) from precursor chemicals likeephedrine, pseudoephedrine, ketamine etc. 50 kgs of precursor chemicals worth Rs.50 crores in the international market have been seized from the Gagret factory on the disclosure of arrested factory manager Suresh Kumar.

He further said that in consonance with the policy of conducting investigations in an end-to-end manner by exposing drug trafficking rackets from the source of raw materials to the distribution network, the Punjab Police analyzed and dissected all available information on the Delhi-based synthetic drug racket and has uncovered a new drug trafficking route to North America through Myanmar and China, utilizing Golden Triangle links. This is a major breakthrough for Punjab Police.

He said that the painstaking investigations and developing and cross-verifying available leads led the Punjab Police to Delhi-based Varinder Singh @ Raja who has been arrested fromDelhion December 8 and was presently under seven day police remand. Varinder Raja’s family, including his father is based inMyanmarand his wife is aUSnational. He was one of the main recipients of consignments of precursor chemicals like ephedrine and pseudoephedrine from Dev Behl. Raja would supply the precursor chemicals toMyanmarnational Hrang Tin Khara @ Adam Zanniat @ Robert who had bases in Mizoram andDelhias well. Robert further supplied the precursor chemical to factories located on the Myanmar-China border.

It has also been revealed in investigations that most of the synthetic drugs being smuggled were targeted for the international market in North America and Europe- mainlyCanada, theUS, Australia etc. Robert would supply the precursor chemicals to the factories based on the Myanmar-China border which would manufacture synthetic drugs like ICE (M-amphetamine) and using Chinese suppliers, these synthetic drugs would reach the international market. Further investigations are ongoing.