International narcotics cartel busted in Ludhiana, 3 Mexicans, 6 Indians held: NCB

PTI, Feb 13, 2024, 8:08 AM IST

New Delhi: Nine people, including three Mexicans, have been arrested and a ‘drugs lab’ has been busted in Punjab’s Ludhiana as part of a Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) operation that began last month to crackdown on an international cartel, according to a statement.

More than 15 kg of methamphetamine, nine kg of pseudoephedrine and other chemicals have been seized by the central anti-narcotics agency’s Delhi Zonal Unit since the operation began, the statement issued by the NCB on Monday said.

It said an advocate from Mohali in Punjab is the ‘prime suspect’ in the case and the NCB is trying to apprehend him.

The cartel, the agency said, operated across Delhi-NCR, Punjab and Rajasthan, apart from Dubai, and its operatives included Indians, Mexicans, Canadians and British citizens.

The narcotics were prepared at a laboratory-like facility in Ludhiana from where the three Mexicans, who worked as chemists, were held, the statement said.

The Mexican nationals came to India in November last year and were working according to the directions of their handlers based in Mexico and the UK, it said.

The six arrested Indians were providing all forms of assistance and raw materials to these foreigners, the NCB said.