Charas traffickers prefer pvt cabs to transport dope

Mumbai: Application-based aggregator cabs are preferred by not only the lay commuter. The members of a charas-trafficking racket allegedly used it in the hope that the same would help them escape the scanner of police. A suspected distributor of the racket, who was arrested with around 1.11 kg of charas by the Anti-Narcotics Cell (ANC) on Thursday, allegedly revealed to the police that he used to book rides by app-based private cabs to move across the city for his ‘drops’ — providing the contraband to his clientele — in the hope he would escape the police's scrutiny.

The accused had felt that private cabs escape police scanner as they are seen being used by commuters who are usually office-goers, students and families, according to a police source.

“The arrest of the charas racket's distributor has revealed a new modus operandi. The accused said he used to hire app-based cabs for visiting around 6-8 locations in a day to cater to his clientele,” said the source. The source said, "The accused said he believed such private cabs are likely to escape police scrutiny on the road as they are usually used by white-collar commuters, office-goers, students and families.” The accused, Javed Shaikh, was nabbed by an ANC team in Mahim with 1.11kg of charas worth `4 lakh in the grey market, according to the source. He was arrested in the past too for peddling narcotics, according to the source.

The use of private cabs is a departure from what was known so far, according to the source. It was seen so far that such rackets usually preferred private vehicles, especially bikes, to “distribute” charas across locations that eventually reach the clientele, said the source. When contacted, ANC's deputy commissioner of police Shivdeep Lande told The Asian Age, “The racket sourced its charas from Jammu and Kashmir.”

The police are on the lookout for a few men who acted as intermediaries between the charas suppliers and the city-based distributors, according to another police source. According to the source, the accused could have received around 6 kg of charas every week for sale in the city.

Drug facts

• Charas is a type of cannabis (Cannabis sativa) that is handmade in India, Pakistan, Nepal, and Jamaica. Charas is made from the resin of the live cannabis plant.
• Charas is sold at the rate of around 4 lakh per kilogram on the streets
• Last year, ANC had seized six kilograms of charas in the city
• Charas is smoked with tobacco
• Cannabis consumption is associated with symptoms like anxiety, irritability, disturbed sleep and gastrointestinal problems.  
• The plant grows in forested tracts along the stretch of the Himalayas.