PATIALA: A major break-through has been effected in the drive against drug trafficking with the exposure of over 6000 crore international synthetic drug racket masterminded by Rajasthan-based Canadian national Devinder Singh @ Dev s/o Harbhajan Singh r/o village 19 PS, Tehsil Rai Singh Nagar, district Sri Ganganagar, Rajasthan.

Dev was arrested on January 5, 2014 by a police party ofPatiala district and produced before the Chief Judicial Magistrate,Patiala on January 6, 2014.  He is on police remand up to January 14, 2014. Disclosing this here today, Mr. HS Mann, SSP, Patiala said that investigations in this massive international synthetic drug racket have revealed that precursor chemicals Katamine, ephedrine and pseudoephedrine were procured by the drug racketeers from Hyderabad, Mumbai, Delhi etc. after diverting from medicinal sectors and smuggled into Canada. The processing of the precursor chemicals to manufacture synthetic drugs was done mainly inCanadaby Chinese and Vietnamese nationals, he added.

Mr. Mann informed that the primary conduits for smuggling the contraband consignments intoIndiawere Pramod Tony, a Karol Bagh- based operative and another person who owned a ship. A company named Quality Foods was used in the smuggling ring with both Air Cargo and Shipments being used for the contrabands. It was expected that the further investigations into the multi-crore international synthetic drug racket would lead to more arrests and recoveries.

Mr. Mann, strongly refuted the allegations of drug lord Jagdish Bhola and said that with his arrest the biggest drug racket in the history of country has been busted. He said that Bhola was trying to affect the investigation being done in 13 serious cases against him. He further said that apart fromPunjabpolice five more investigation agencies namely Narcotics Control Bureau, Intelligence Bureau, Army Intelligence, BSF Intelligence and Enforcement Directorate have also interrogated Bhola and nothing was revealed by him before them regarding his recent allegations. He said that Bhola was a hardcore smuggler and now desperately trying to loosen the noose of law around his neck.