From Ecuador to Mumbai: Inside ₹1,745 Crore Cocaine Smuggling Route

In a major crackdown on international narcotics trafficking, the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has dismantled a transnational cocaine syndicate under Operation White Strike, seizing a massive 349 kilograms of high-grade cocaine valued at approximately ₹1,745 crore.

The investigation, carried out across Navi Mumbai and Bhiwandi, marks one of the largest drug seizures in Maharashtra to date. One accused, identified as Nitin Pandharinath Shingari, has been arrested, while a manhunt is underway to trace other key operatives of the network.

The first interception took place near the KWC Warehousing Complex in Kalamboli, where NCB teams stopped a Maruti Suzuki Super Carry vehicle. A search of the vehicle led to the recovery of 136 packets of cocaine, each weighing one kilogram. The contraband had been cleverly concealed inside cartons of cricket pads and gloves to avoid suspicion.

Officials said the breakthrough came after over six months of sustained intelligence gathering and surveillance. 

What began as a lead on a small consignment eventually exposed a large international trafficking network operating through the Mumbai metropolitan region.

Following the arrest, interrogation of the accused led investigators to a warehouse in Bhiwandi. Acting swiftly, NCB teams raided the facility at Laxman Compound in Rehnal village and recovered an additional 213 kilograms of cocaine, taking the total seizure to 349 kilograms.

Preliminary investigation found that the syndicate used highly sophisticated concealment techniques. The drugs were hidden within cavities of imported industrial machinery and sealed in nine layers of polythene, including a coating of black greasy material to evade detection by scanning systems.

The investigation has also uncovered a direct link to Ecuador, a known transit hub for cocaine originating from Latin America. Officials said the drugs were smuggled into India via sea routes and routed through the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) in concealed cargo shipments.

Sources revealed that critical intelligence inputs were shared by foreign agencies following an offshore operation in Ecuador, enabling Indian authorities to track the network’s movements over several months before launching coordinated raids.

As per sources, the Kalamboli–Bhiwandi belt is emerging as a key logistics hub for such operations, owing to its connectivity to ports, highways, and warehousing infrastructure. The area is suspected to have been used for storage and redistribution of narcotics across the country.

Central agencies are now working in coordination with international counterparts to trace the syndicate’s financial network, supply chain, and local distribution links. Officials indicated that further arrests are likely as the probe deepens.

The case underscores growing concerns over Mumbai’s role as a critical entry and redistribution point for global drug trafficking networks, posing fresh challenges for enforcement agencies.