Delhi police seize 560kg of cocaine in largest drug bust in city’s history

Drugs worth £643m were intended to be supplied at four major upcoming concerts and music festivals

Delhi police have seized more than 560kg of cocaine worth more than 65 billion rupees (£643m) on the international market. It is the national capital’s largest drug bust and it is believed to have links to an international narcotics cartel.

The massive haul of Colombian cocaine was intended to be supplied at four major upcoming concerts and music festivals in Delhi, Mumbai, and Goa between this month and next March, police said.

The Delhi Police Special Cell arrested four people in connection with the bust following an investigation spanning three months.

Along with the cocaine, police also recovered 40kg of marijuana during the raids.

Special Cell police commissioner RP Upadhayay stated that the raids were continuing on Wednesday.

The police seized a total of 562kg of Colombian cocaine, as reported by The Times of India. The cartel had been smuggling cocaine into India from Latin and Central American nations such as Colombia, Peru, Mexico, and Bolivia.

“The cocaine came from Southern American countries via the Middle East, while the marijuana came from Thailand. They were then transported from various states to Delhi. A thorough investigation into the routes is underway,” a police officer said.

The investigation into the drug ring began in August after the Special Cell received intelligence input from central agencies. They were informed that a “huge consignment of cocaine was to be distributed in Delhi by an international drug cartel with ties to the Middle East,” an officer said.

A team was formed to work on the case and identify the gang members. In October, they zeroed in on Delhi businessman Tushar Goyal, who the police accused of storing the consignment in a warehouse in Mahipalpur near Delhi international airport.

Police seized 562kg of cocaine in the bust (Delhi Police)

The police said they found the consignment in the warehouse during a raid. They arrested Mr Goyal, 41, on suspicion of being the primary receiver and distributor of the cartel in India.

Police said the other accused are Auranzeb Siddiqui, 23, who worked as Mr Goyal’s driver; Himanshu Kumar, 27, who oversaw distribution in Delhi and neighbouring areas; and Bharat Jain, 48, who distributed the drugs in Mumbai.

The police said the marijuana was high-grade hydroponic cannabis that came from Thailand. They are still working to identify the origin of the cocaine.