NCB sniffs for one more coke haul

MUMBAI: Just days after confiscating a record haul of 200kg of cocaine from the Nhava Sheva port, the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) is looking for two more consignments, said to weigh 300kg.

The consignments are thought to belong to the same cartel that had shipped the cache recovered on Sunday.

The NCB is working closely with international enforcement agencies to track the shipments.

The agencies have determined that a 500kg cocaine consignment meant for Spain and Germany, of which Sunday’s haul was a part, reached Mumbai from Ecuador. Though NCB Director KC Verma refused to give details, he said his officers are working round the clock on “reliable information”.

The NCB has learnt that Sunday’s haul was to be shipped to Karachi and then to Colombo and Europe. “The destination indicates the possibility of Dawood Ibrahim’s involvement,” said an intelligence officer.

The scope of the current operation extends beyond Mumbai. The first tip-off came from an American source. The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence verified the information on the basis of import documents and shipping data.

Meanwhile, Additional Director Om Prakash said the NCB’s Mumbai unit is identifying the gang responsible for transferring cocaine from sealed containers to those headed for Europe.

With Poornima Swaminathan