A Special NDPS court in Thane has convicted five individuals in connection with a major drug trafficking case from January 2021, involving the seizure of narcotics, cash, gold ornaments, and an unlicensed pistol during separate raids.
Sentencing Details
The court sentenced the main accused, Arif Yaqoob Bhujwala, to 15 years of rigorous imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 2 lakh. Three other accused, Parvez Khan alias "Chinku Pathan", Mohammed Salman Khan, and financier Vikrant Jain alias "Vicky Jain", were each sentenced to five years of imprisonment along with fines of Rs 50,000. Another accused, Haris Faizullah Khan, received a one-year jail term and a fine of Rs 10,000.
Seizures and Raids
On January 20, 2021, officials conducted a raid at a storage area in Ghansoli, Navi Mumbai, recovering 52.2 grams of Mephedrone, an unlicensed pistol with five live cartridges, cash, and gold ornaments valued at Rs 3.57 lakh. Subsequent searches at Noor Manzil in Chinchbunder led to the seizure of 5.375 kg of Mephedrone, 990 grams of Methamphetamine, and 6.126 kg of Ephedrine, a precursor chemical used in the manufacture of synthetic drugs. Officials also recovered another illegal firearm and cash amounting to Rs 2.18 crore, believed to be proceeds from drug trafficking.
Role of the Accused
The investigation revealed that the contraband was allegedly supplied by Arif Bhujwala, who operated a synthetic drug trafficking network from Chinchbunder. Mohammed Salman Khan was involved in procuring contraband from Parvez Khan and distributing it within the local drug network. A raid at his premises led to the seizure of 10.5 grams of Mephedrone along with packaging material and weighing instruments. The probe also uncovered the involvement of Vikrant Jain, who allegedly financed drug trafficking activities while also participating in distribution. Searches at his Bhiwandi premises resulted in the seizure of 52.8 grams of Mephedrone mixed with tobacco products and Rajnigandha sachets. Financial records recovered during the searches allegedly established his role in funding the narcotics trade. NCB officials later arrested Haris Faizullah Khan, who was found with 3 grams of Mephedrone and was allegedly linked to the wider trafficking network.
Asset Attachments
Properties worth more than Rs 1.5 crore belonging to Parvez Khan were attached and later confirmed by the Competent Authority under the Smugglers and Foreign Exchange Manipulators Act (SAFEMA). In the case of kingpin Mohammed Arif Bhujwala, authorities attached cash, eight movable properties, and four immovable properties collectively valued at over Rs 5 crore.
