The Anti-Human Trafficking Unit (AHTU) of Navi Mumbai Police arrested a 35-year-old African national from Ulwe on Monday afternoon for possessing 410 grams of cocaine, which he was illegally selling.
The arrest of Jeorge Ocante Dasilva, a native of Guinea in Africa, followed a tip-off received by API Alka Patil of AHTU regarding an individual illegally storing cocaine with the intent to sell at RM Heights Building, Plot No. 20, Sector 25A, Ulwe.
A trap was laid on October 28 based on this information and arround 2:30 p.m, Dasilva was found in possession of 410 grams of cocaine, valued at Rs 1,02,50,000, which was hidden in his bedroom for sale. In addition to the cocaine, authorities seized a mobile phone, a black Tabata brand weighing scale (capacity 120 grams), a pair of scissors, ten transparent plastic bags (used for drug packaging), and a sky bag, bringing the total value of the seized items to Rs 1,02,55,610.
An FIR has been registered at Panvel City Police Station under Sections 8(a) and 21(a) of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.
Dasilva was presented before the court and remanded to police custody until October 31, 2024. Further investigations are being conducted by Ulwe Police Station, with the Crime Branch also looking into potential accomplices and the source of the drugs. It is noted that the accused has a prior case registered under the NDPS Act at Nahar Police Station in Mumbai.