Arrest of 25-year-old reveals how premium cannabis from the US was procured on chatting apps and sent via express shipping; drug was packed and covered in chocolates and sent to customers via India Post
ANC officers with the arrested accused
The arrest of a 25-year-old software engineer by the Bandra unit of Anti Narcotics Cell (ANC) has revealed to the cops an international drug business that got established during the lockdown and operated via chatting apps.
Accused Yash Girish Kalani hails from Gujarat and has been staying at the posh Carter Road area in Bandra. "Kalani accessed www.reddit.com to procured American cannabis. He joined an international group called R/IndianEnts on the website," said an officer. "There he met a user named CannabisKings who suggested him to join 'Wickr Me', an app, to discuss purchasing drugs," said the officer.
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"These days, drug suppliers are using Wickr Me messenger that has a self-destruct feature where chats are encrypted. The identity of a user is not revealed as no registration is required," said Datta Nalawade, deputy commissioner of police (DCP), ANC.
"On Wickr Me, Kalani and CannabisKings first made a deal for 14 gm of American cannabis worth R7,500 in August and then for 28 gm of high-quality cannabis for R12,500," said Nalawade. "To transfer money to CannabisKings, Kalani purchased a PayPal user ID and password from Wickr Me for $10," he added.
Modus operandi
"After the second purchase, CannabisKings offered Kalani a partnership promising huge returns with minimum efforts. Kalani bought drugs on six occasions and made small packets of cannabis which were then covered in chocolate. The drug was sent to customers in Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Chennai and Bangalore via India Post," an officer said.
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Kalani got impressive returns. He employed an autorickshaw driver Guru Dayal Jaiswal, 32, to collect the consignments sent by CannabisKings via express shipping as international flights were suspended. "Customers paid Kalani in cash, via online transfers and on some occasions, through hawala," said an officer.
How cops busted ops
Kalani's operation was foolproof and it was impossible for cops or other agencies to bust it. However, Kalani's movements became suspicious and human intelligence alerted the ANC to his activities.
"We sent a dummy female customer to Kalani. Recently, he had purchased 11 kg American cannabis for R1.75 crore from CannabisKings. He managed to sell 2 kg, the remaining worth R1.62 crore has been recovered," said an officer attached to the Bandra ANC.
Police are writing to Reddit and Wickr Me to know CannabisKings' IP address to find out if he is Indian. Kalani and Jaiswal have been booked under the NDPS Act.
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