Ahmedabad: The cybercrime branch in the city has uncovered the alleged participation of a Russian national residing in Surat in a case related to the shipment of narcotics via parcels from the US, Thailand, and Canada. Additionally, investigators have identified the involvement of five individuals from Gujarat, including three from Ahmedabad.

The prime suspect in the drug supply operation is a Russian national who is in India on a tourist visa. It has come to light that the suspect was previously deported from the US after being apprehended for a similar offense by the Drug Enforcement Administration.

Deputy Commissioner of Police for the cybercrime branch, Ajit Rajian, has noted that among the five individuals involved, three are residents of Ahmedabad, with one individual each from Vadodara and Surat implicated in the case.

Rajian added that in the case of the foreign courier company, the parcel would include the delivery worker’s name and contact number. The recipient would then reach out to the worker to take delivery before the parcel reached its final destination. The five individuals apprehended have taken deliveries and still possess the drugs.

The city’s cybercrime branch and customs department had, recently exposed an international drug trafficking network that employed an unconventional method to smuggle cocaine and high-quality processed cannabis into India. The contraband was cleverly concealed within 230 parcels made to look like toys, notepads, and books. In a joint operation, customs officials and the cybercrime branch seized 2.31 grams of cocaine valued at Rs 2.31 lakh and 5.97 kilograms of premium processed cannabis worth approximately Rs 46.08 lakh. DeshGujarat