In a major post-investigation action, the Mumbai Zonal Unit of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has destroyed more than 25 kg of high-value narcotics — including cocaine, hydro ganja and cannabis gummies — linked to the Chichkar drug case, officials said.

The disposal was carried out through scientific incineration at MWML, Taloja, on November 19, in the presence of a High-Level Drug Disposal Committee comprising officers from the NCB and the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI).

According to the NCB, the contraband had been seized during a long-running operation directly connected to the Chichkar-linked international narcotics and financial network. The case, which overlaps with the Enforcement Directorate’s money-laundering probe, has exposed alleged hawala channels, shell entities and foreign operatives involved in moving drug proceeds across borders.

Investigations had earlier led to the arrests of multiple individuals attempting clandestine re-entry into India, eventually helping identify the alleged kingpin, Navin Chichkar, who was deported from Malaysia after a Red Corner Notice and taken into custody. In total, nine accused — including carriers, handlers, distributors, peddlers and a hawala operator — have been arrested from different states as the probe expanded.

Joint financial scrutiny with the ED unearthed a network of cash movements, front businesses and offshore accounts allegedly linked to the syndicate. Authorities also froze properties worth more than Rs 10 crore, including 15 bank accounts, cash trails and five immovable assets across Maharashtra, attached under SAFEMA and NDPS provisions.

Investigators had earlier confiscated 11.540 kg of cocaine, 4.9 kg of ganja and 5.5 kg of cannabis gummies on January 31, 2025 — part of the same syndicate’s operations.

The cocaine was allegedly supplied from Thailand and distributed across domestic and international routes.

Agencies later uncovered Chichkar’s alleged involvement in a hydroponic weed network, revealing that after fleeing India, he had allegedly purchased an island in Australia and coordinated shipments of hydro weed from Thailand and the United States. The contraband was allegedly smuggled into India through postal and courier routes, which officials described as “highly structured and professional”.

Following the recent destruction of the seized drugs, the NCB said it remains committed to aggressive pre-trial disposal to prevent stolen, pilfered or re-circulated drug samples from re-entering the illegal market. Senior officers added that intensified action against well-funded cartels aligns with the Centre’s “Nasha Mukt Bharat by 2047” roadmap and urged citizens to report drug-related information on the MANAS national helpline (1933), assuring confidentiality of informants.

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