NCB gets more power; Centre asks states to share top 4-5 narcotics cases with agency

In a move that will strengthen the jurisdiction of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), the Centre in a directive to all states has asked them to hand over four-five prominent cases to the agency by December 5, according to the sources.

In the directive issued on Thursday, the Centre has asked all the Chief Secretaries, Home Secretaries and the Directors General of Police of all states and the Union Territories to share prominent cases linked to narcotics with the agency, the sources privy to the development told ANI.

The move comes after the seizure of about 3,000 kg of heroin from the Mundra port and the Mumbai cruise drug bust.

The NCB is investigating both these cases along with other Central agencies that include the National Investigation Agency (NIA).

The NIA in October had conducted raids at five locations in Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR) linked to the seizure of about 3,000 kg drugs at Gujarat's Mundra Port.

The searches were conducted at residential premises and godowns at Lajpat Nagar, Alipur, Khera Kalan in New Delhi and Noida in connection with the seizure of semi-processed Talc stones with contraband drugs imported by Aashi Trading Company.

During searches, various incriminating documents, articles and items were seized by the NIA.

This was the second in a series of raids carried out by the NIA on October 9 in connection with the case. Earlier, the agency had conducted raids in Chennai, Coimbatore, Vijaywada at the premises of the accused and suspects involved in the import of semi-processed Talc stones with contraband.

The case relates to the seizure of Heroin seized at Mundra Port in Gujarat. The drugs were found concealed in import consignment of 'Semi-processed Talc stones' originating from Afghanistan which had arrived from Bandar Abbas Port, Iran.

The NIA FIR has named Machavaram Sudhakaran, Durga P.V. Govindaraju and Rajkumar P. as accused, among others.

Chennai-based Sudhakaran and Govindaraju own the company which was shipping the contraband. Govindaraju is the proprietor of Aashi Trading Company, registered in Andhra Pradesh's Vijayawada, that was importing the talc from a firm called Hasan Husain Ltd.

Rajkumar, from Coimbatore, worked in Iran and "was coordinating with foreign suppliers".

Till date, nine people have been arrested in the case. Four among these are Afghans and one is an Uzbek national.

All the arrests have been made by the DRI. Parallelly, the NCB, NIA and the Enforcement Directorate are probing the case.

The September 16 seizure is said to be one of the single-biggest hauls in India, worth over Rs 21,000 crore.

( With inputs from ANI )