An international drug trafficking ring has been unearthed, with two individuals, including a woman, arrested in Kolkata on charges of smuggling cocaine worth approximately two crore rupees from Kenya. The arrests were made by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), a central agency, which is now actively searching for two more individuals believed to be involved in this sophisticated cross-border operation. This bust highlights the growing international links of drug trafficking into the city.
According to police sources, the arrested individuals have been identified as Anirban Mallick and Joyita Saha. Investigators successfully apprehended the duo after conducting an extensive operation, which ultimately led to the unraveling of how such a significant quantity of drugs was trafficked from a distant country like Kenya to Kolkata, a key focus of the ongoing investigation.
The illicit cocaine was smuggled into Kolkata via parcels as part of an elaborate international cocaine trafficking network. The breakthrough occurred when four suspicious parcels arrived at the Foreign Post Office in central Kolkata. Noticing the unusual nature of these packages, the authorities alerted the NCB. Upon preliminary examination, the NCB suspected the presence of illicit substances inside.
Further inspection, including opening the parcels, confirmed the presence of cocaine. It was revealed that approximately 2.25 kilograms of foreign cocaine, with an estimated market value of two crore rupees, had been smuggled in these packages. Each of the four parcels had a distinct address, providing crucial leads for the investigators.
Following these leads, the NCB initiated a search for four individuals linked to the addresses on the parcels. This led to the arrest of Anirban Mallick and Joyita Saha, who are now in NCB custody. The NCB has stated that the search is ongoing for the remaining two individuals based on the information obtained from the other two parcel addresses, as they work to dismantle the entire network involved in this international drug trafficking operation.