Dombivli, Mumbai – In a significant blow to a burgeoning narcotics network operating in the city’s suburbs, Manpada police have arrested the kingpin of a drug smuggling ring in Dombivli, seizing nearly 2 kilograms of mephedrone (MD) worth ₹2.12 crore. The operation, executed on June 26, 2025, led to the arrest of three suspects—including a 21-year-old woman—who had been masquerading as call-centre employees while running a sophisticated drug distribution network.
Acting on a confidential tip-off, police raided a luxury apartment in a high-end residential society in Khoni-Palava. The search yielded a sizable quantity of mephedrone, along with evidence linking the accused to a much wider and deeper web of illegal activity. According to senior officials, the contraband was being supplied to local school zones and surrounding neighborhoods—indicating a disturbing proximity of hard drugs to vulnerable minors and students.
But perhaps the most alarming revelation is what followed.
Investigators found that the accused had been using imported high-end vehicles for transporting the drugs—cars that were allegedly routed through a nexus of international car dealers. These findings suggest strong foreign links in what was initially believed to be a hyperlocal drug racket. Police say this international angle, involving the procurement and use of these vehicles to evade suspicion, is now the central focus of the investigation.
Deputy Commissioner of Police Atul Zende confirmed that multiple teams have been deployed to trace the wider network: “We suspect there are multiple layers to this syndicate. These individuals were only the face of a more organized, possibly international, drug operation. Further arrests are imminent.”
Officials are now pursuing leads connected to the import chain, examining customs records, car dealer transactions, and financial trails between Mumbai and possible foreign locations. The recovered mobile phones and digital devices from the flat are undergoing forensic analysis to identify communication with suppliers, dealers, and additional handlers.
Meanwhile, the accused have been booked under stringent provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act and remanded to judicial custody. The case has sparked concern among residents in the affluent Palava region, with many expressing alarm at how a high-rise in a “gated, secure” society became a hub for high-volume drug operations.
Police have issued an appeal to citizens, particularly in Dombivli’s upscale neighborhoods, to report suspicious activities and vehicles without delay. “Drug peddlers thrive in silence. Community vigilance can be the first line of defense,” a senior narcotics official said.
With schools reopening post-summer break and youth-targeted distribution channels exposed, this case has served as a wake-up call—not just for the authorities, but for parents, educators, and housing societies across Mumbai’s suburbs.
The investigation continues, with the potential to unravel one of the most intricate drug supply chains seen in recent years in Mumbai’s extended metropolitan zone.
