From: Hindustan Times
The anti-narocotics cell of the Mumbai crime branch has discovered a cartel that employs women from the city to smuggle drugs into Gulf countries. According to officers , the cartel has been operating majorly from the Mumbai airport, but also from Hyderabad, Pune and Cochin.
The recent arrest of Furkana Sheikh, 27, from the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport for allegedly trying to smuggle 464 gram of amphetamine into Qatar has revealed the presence of a cartel that has recruited close to 100 women from Mumbai to smuggle drugs into Gulf countries.
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“At first, the recruit was made to smuggle small-level contraband (cigarettes) from Gulf countries as a test. After several such trips, they were sent on higher-level operations that dealt with the smuggling of amphetamine, which costs ten times more in the international market than in the Indian market. The contraband seized from Furkana was worth Rs 23.25 lakh here, but Rs 2 crore in the international market,” said the officer.
