Delhi Police says arrested four men & busted interstate drugs supply racket

New Delhi: The Delhi Police’s Crime Branch successfully dismantled an interstate drug cartel, seizing 357 kg of high-quality cannabis worth approximately Rs 1.78 crore in the international market.

An anonymous source tipped the Crime Branch of the Delhi Police about the drug cartel.

The accused were identified as Sandeep Kumar and Joginder, both residents of Dhaturi, Sonipat, Haryana, Naveen Kumar (37) resident of Pragati Nagar, Gohana Road, Sonipat, Haryana, and Rajesh Adikathia (32) resident of Pondei, Koraput, Odisha.

According to the Police, the arrested individuals include two primary drug suppliers, Sandeep Kumar and Joginder, as well as Naveen Kumar, who was receiving the narcotics in Delhi, and Rajesh Adikathia, the source of the cannabis.

The group transported the contraband concealed in a truck, intending to distribute it throughout the

capital region.

This operation was part of the Crime Branch’s ongoing campaign “Operation Kavach,” launched to curb narcotic supplies in Delhi NCR.

A team from the Crime Branch Delhi Police, led by Inspector Sandeep Yadav and under the supervision of ACP Ajay Kumar, was responsible for the arrests.

The team apprehended the suspects in the Najafgarh area based on field and technical information.

The investigation revealed that Sandeep Kumar and his accomplices procured cannabis from the Andhra-Odisha border, an area notorious for the extensive cultivation of the cannabis plant.

They transported the narcotics in trucks under the guise of other goods, evading law enforcement.

Naveen Kumar was caught red-handed while collecting and loading the cannabis into his van for distribution.

Further questioning of the accused revealed that they had established a network with Rajesh Adikathia, who smuggled the cannabis from Odisha to Delhi.

The arrested individuals have been charged under various sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.