For the first time, the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) seized 1.23 grams of mescaline from a parcel, which earlier this month arrested a photographer and seized 489 grams of hydroponic weed from his apartment.
Mescaline, a drug made in Mexico from a cactus, is in high demand in Western countries and has also been smuggled into India for the past few months, with a seizure in Delhi in August this year. An NCB official said this is the first time they have seized mescaline in Mumbai.
Elaborating on the operation, NCB Additional Director Amit Ghavate said that they had received information about a parcel of illegal drugs bound for Mumbai. After appropriate technical analysis, the suspect parcel was tracked and seized at a post office in Mumbai, resulting in the recovery of 1.23 grams of mescaline.
Then a person who came to collect the parcel on November 9 was arrested. An official said the accused is highly educated and a professional photographer and comes from a good family. He allegedly placed the order through the dark net and paid in crypto currency.
An officer said that during the search of the house, 489 grams of hydroponic cannabis plants were recovered, which were grown in a controlled environment in the bedroom of the accused’s house.
As a result, the recipient of the consignment was also arrested. During questioning, the man confirmed that the seized parcel was registered for illegal drug procurement through the darkweb.
Ghawte said that drugs are made from yellow fungus on mushrooms and cactus. Mescaline is most abundant in the button-shaped seeds of the peyote cactus, which has been used by indigenous peoples of Mexico for centuries. In the early 2000s, the drug was protested in the US and Mexico, but demand declined over the years due to a lack of supply.
Now, drugs appear to be making a comeback and are available in both natural drug and synthetic forms – meaning the chemical properties are replicated in laboratories.
Thailand-Mumbai New Drug Route
In another operation, the NCB also seized 13 kg of hybrid-strain ganja worth Rs 15 crore from the Mumbai airport on December 17 leading to the arrest of a man.
Ghavte said that information was received about the smuggling of a consignment of illegal drugs from Thailand to Mumbai in view of the New Year’s Eve festival.
Accordingly, intelligence sources were activated, resulting in the identification of the luggage in transit from Bangkok to Mumbai on Thai Airways. On December 17, a suspicious bag was found at the Mumbai airport and when opened, 13 kg of hybrid strain ganja was recovered and a person was arrested from Kolhapur.
An official said that in recent months, there has been an increase in drug traffic from Thailand to India. Some of these drugs are legal in Thailand and they produce high-quality cannabis buds that act like cocaine and are shipped to India, the official added.
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