The Gujarat Anti Terrorist Squad (ATS) in a joint operation with Delhi Police’s Special Cell and UP Police’s Special Operations Group (SOG) seized around 155 kilograms of heroin worth over Rs 700 crore, from a house in Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh, on Monday. This is the latest in a series of drug busts by the ATS in Gujarat, New Delhi and Uttar Pradesh. According to Gujarat ATS officials, the drug package was found in the house of a relative of the accused Raji Haider, a native of Delhi, who was earlier arrested by the Gujarat ATS after 35 kilograms of heroin was allegedly found from his factory premises in Muzaffarnagar. “We received credible information that Haider Raji had kept a large quantity of drugs at his sister’s house in Muzaffarnagar. A team was sent from Ahmedabad to Muzaffarnagar and in a joint operation with Delhi Police’s Special Cell and Muzaffarnagar Police’s SOG, we found 155 kilograms of heroin worth Rs 775 crore and 55 kilograms of suspected chemicals supposed to be used in drug manufacturing. Further investigation is on in the case,” said a senior official of Gujarat ATS in Ahmedabad on Monday. On April 24 night, the Gujarat ATS and Indian Coast Guard (ICG) intercepted a Pakistani boat around 10-12 nautical miles off Jakhau coast in Gujarat in the Indian side of International Maritime Borderline (IMBL) and arrested nine Pakistani nationals with 56 kilograms of heroin. Later, the ATS roped in the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) in the investigation and conducted joint raids at Jamia Nagar and Okhla in New Delhi and Muzaffarnagar in West UP and arrested four persons with 35 kilograms of heroin. Raji Haider was one of the four arrested. Later, the ATS and NCB also recovered 50 kilograms of heroin from Jamianagar. “The four drug busts by ATS are related to an international drug racket and the accused are being interrogated. So far, the ATS has recovered 296 kilograms of heroin in total,” added the official.
