Mumbai Police on High Alert as Drug Cartels Plan ₹10,000 Crore Supply During New Year Parties

Mumbai: The New Year is just around the corner, and preparations for parties in the Mumbai metropolitan area are in full swing, with hotels, pubs, and private events taking the lead. Intelligence reports indicate that drug cartels are planning to supply drugs worth Rs 10,000 crore during the celebrations. As a result, anti-drug agencies have gone on high alert. The report also mentions that there is a significant increase in the supply of MD and MDMA drugs during this time. Following this, Mumbai Police and the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) are preparing special arrangements, with a focus on parties held at beach locations in the city.

DCP Shyam Ghuge of Mumbai Police's Anti-Narcotics Cell stated that, after receiving this intelligence, they will deploy six teams from December 28 to monitor parties at coastal areas like Madh, Marve, and Gorai. The goal is to prevent drug traffickers from supplying drugs. These teams will include seven senior police inspectors, 15 police inspectors, and a large number of constables. Ghuge also mentioned that drugs are likely to be supplied at parties held in secluded places like bungalows, forests, and riverbanks, and drug syndicates are focusing on these areas.

According to police sources, traffickers are coming up with new methods to supply drugs during the New Year celebrations. Some of the new techniques include:

1. Banana Trucks - Hiding drugs in banana shipments.


2. New Vehicle Tires - Concealing prohibited drugs inside tire piles.


3. Sandal Soles - Hiding drugs in the soles of sandals.


4. Watermelon - Smuggling drugs inside hollowed-out watermelons.


5. Sports Equipment - Using items like guitars, hockey sticks, footballs, and volleyballs to hide drugs.


Additionally, the dark web and social media have become integral parts of drug trafficking. Approximately 80% of drug trafficking now happens through the dark web, where traffickers convert their earnings into cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin to hide their identities. Social media platforms are also used to coordinate drug deliveries and promote parties. To evade anti-drug agencies, traffickers are using code words and secret symbols. For example, one kilogram of MDMA is referred to as "a meter of cloth" or "happy pills," marijuana as "a pot," hashish as "chiba," heroin as "powder," and smack as "dust." Traffickers are also widely using emojis and symbolic images for discreet communication.

According to senior Mumbai Police officers, drugs are supplied through various routes. Heroin is brought into Mumbai from Uttarakhand and Rajasthan via train and road, while charas is trafficked from Bihar and Nepal. The demand for MD and MDMA is the highest in Mumbai, and traffickers either supply them via sea routes or set up factories in nearby areas to produce and distribute the drugs in Mumbai.

To curb the supply of drugs at New Year parties, Mumbai Police has intensified Operation Thunder. In 2024, the Anti-Narcotics Cell has registered 1,060 cases, arrested 1,228 accused individuals, and seized drugs worth over Rs 500 crore. In contrast, in 2023, drugs worth Rs 419 crore were seized. In just one month, the police have registered 96 cases and seized drugs worth around Rs 50 crore.

Given the alert, anti-drug agencies are also planning to take assistance from local police stations.​