Gujarat: Drugs, liquor worth over Rs 16 lakh seized in Ahmedabad; one held

Ahmedabad, April 16 Narcotic substances and liquor worth Rs 16.51 lakh were seized from a residential flat in Gujarat's Ahmedabad by the Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) Crime and Railways, leading to the arrest of one individual, officials said on Thursday.

The operation was carried out at a flat of Aarohi Viviana apartments in Bopal locality, following specific intelligence inputs.

Acting under the supervision of senior officers, a team from the ANTF's Ahmedabad Zone conducted a raid at the premises, where the accused was found in possession of drugs suspected to be intended for distribution.

During the search, officers recovered 102.59 grams of methamphetamine, 46.64 grams of hybrid marijuana and 8.88 grams of cocaine.

In addition, six bottles of Indian-made foreign liquor, 24 beer tins and four mobile phones were seized from the flat.

The total value of the recovered contraband and other items has been estimated at Rs 18.01 lakh, police said.

The accused, identified as Nishant Solanki (42), a resident of the same apartment and originally from Rajkot, was arrested at the site.

Police said he was found in possession of the substances during the raid.

Four other individuals -- identified as Rick, Sandra, Ghost and Ajay Patel -- have also been named in the case and are currently absconding.

Efforts are underway to trace them.

A case has been registered under relevant provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, as well as sections of the Prohibition Act.

"The operation was carried out based on credible inputs, and the accused was found in possession of multiple narcotic substances," an official said.

Further investigation has been handed over to Bopal Police Station in Ahmedabad Rural, which will examine the source of the drugs and any wider network linked to the case.

The seizure is part of a broader crackdown on narcotics and illicit liquor in Gujarat.

In March this year, authorities seized around 0.7 kg of hybrid ganja worth more than Rs 26 lakh from a flat in GIFT City in Gandhinagar, and arrested one person in connection with the case.

Earlier, enforcement agencies told the State Assembly that in Ahmedabad alone, Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) worth Rs 10.71 crore and drugs valued at Rs 3.87 crore were seized, while in Surat IMFL worth Rs 6.63 crore and narcotics worth Rs 13.29 crore were recovered.

A total of 24,793 people were arrested in connection with liquor and drug-related offences, with 316 accused remaining absconding, according to available data.

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