Mumbai: A huge cache of cocaine has been seized in the country’s financial capital Navi Mumbai. The Narcotics Control Bureau team acted on a tip-off. 349 kg of cocaine was seized. The estimated market value of the cocaine seized by the NCB is Rs 1775 crore. Where did such a huge cache of drugs come from? Who brought it? Where was it going? This is the subject of investigation. The NCB team is also shocked by the seizure of such a huge cache of cocaine. The NCB has claimed to have exposed an international drug racket with the seizure of cocaine. Union Home Minister Amit Shah has congratulated the NCB for this operation.

Amit Shah has posted about this success of the NCB on X. He has expressed his determination to continue strict action against drug trafficking. He wrote on X that the NCB carried out a major operation in Navi Mumbai. 349 kg of high-grade cocaine was seized, the international market value of which is Rs 1745 crore. The operation is an example of the agency’s bottom-up approach. He said the government is committed to rooting out drug peddlers.

Arrested from Padmavati Royals Society

Earlier, the Mumbai Police had arrested a former bar dancer in a major operation against drug trafficking. The police seized 5,000 MDMA (ecstasy) tablets from the accused, worth about Rs 6 crore. The arrested woman has been identified as Ashwini Pal. The accused woman is based in Pune. She could be a key link in a major drug racket spread across Mumbai and Maharashtra. The police arrested Ashwini from Padmavati Royals Society in Tatwala. During the raid, the police seized five mobile phones and eight SIM cards. Initial investigations have revealed that Ashwini entered the drug business after her husband went to jail.

200 tablets were recovered from her
According to the information given by the police, Ashwini came to Mumbai in 2012 and started working in a dance bar. Over time, she started supplying drugs at parties. Gradually, her network spread to other cities in Maharashtra including Mumbai, especially college-going kids were on her radar. She used to charge Rs 1,500 to Rs 2,000 for a pill. In this case, the police had arrested two accused, Irfan Ansari and Sufyan, from Sakinaka area. 200 pills were recovered from them. Based on the information given by them, the police
International drug racket busted in Navi Mumbai, NCB seizes Rs 1,745 crore.

As per the directions of the Union Home Minister to break the financial backbone of Mumbai drug smugglers, the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has achieved a major breakthrough. The competent authority and administrator in Mumbai under SAFEMA and NDPS Act have confirmed the freezing/attachment of several properties. These properties include 5 bank accounts, 1 immovable property, cash, jewellery, and 2 vehicles, totaling Rs 3,78,24,124. These properties belong to Danish M and his key accomplice, Hina S, an accused in a major drug smuggling case. The case pertains to the seizure of 502 grams of Mephedrone from a carrier named Nitin Ji in Pune on November 18, 2025. Subsequent operations led to the recovery of 839 grams of Mephedrone from the house of Hina S, and his accomplice, M.Z. Sheikh, was also arrested in September 2025. Danish M and Hina S later changed locations and absconded. However, based on close surveillance and intelligence, he was identified at a resort in Goa, from where he was arrested in October 2025. Furthermore, another key associate Sheikh alias Danish Pappi, who was working as a drug distributor in Byculla, Dongri and Nagpada, was arrested on 25 April 2026 while entering Mumbai. The NCB is committed to completely dismantle the drug trafficking network through seizures, arrests, financial investigations and legal action under a comprehensive, 360-degree investigative strategy. Further investigation of the case is underway, and other financial links are also being probed. This action reflects the full commitment of the NCB to dismantle drug trafficking networks and seize their illicit assets. NCB is dedicated to creating awareness along with strict law enforcement in line with the vision of the Government of India of a “Drug-Free India”. NCB has appealed to the citizens to cooperate in the fight against drug trafficking. Anyone can share information related to drug trafficking on MANAS – National Narcotics Helpline (Toll-Free No.: 1933). The identity of the informant will be kept confidential.

Mumbai: Maharashtra Samajwadi Party leader and MLA Abu Asim Azmi has requested Transport Minister Pratap Sarmaik to provide relaxation to rickshaw and taxi drivers in the matter of Marathi language mandatory from May 1 and give them time to learn Marathi. In a letter, Azmi said that the new Marathi mandatory law will come into effect from May 1, 2026. This has created a wave of concern among rickshaw and taxi drivers, especially the elderly. The purpose of any law is reformative, but it should not take away anyone’s livelihood. Maharashtra is a state that provides employment to citizens across the country, and this is the real identity of our state. Many drivers who have settled here from other states have received education in their mother tongue, so we cannot deny the fact that they need time to learn Marathi. From a scientific point of view, it becomes difficult to learn a new language after the age of 45 to 50. Therefore, I demand that this rule be restricted to the youth between the ages of 18 and 45 and that experienced and senior drivers be completely exempted from it. For such drivers who are the sole breadwinners of their families, the government should appoint a special officer and give them an extension of at least two years so that their livelihood is not disrupted. Moreover, the language test format should be simplified and made online, with drivers getting at least four chances every year. It would be unfair to cancel permits just because of language. Another important point is that there is no such strictness on the use of Marathi in the corporate sector, as this sector is considered a major source of income for the state. However, we should not forget that rickshaw and taxi drivers are also an important part of the state’s economy. They serve the public from morning till late at night. When big corporate houses can get relaxation and flexibility in language regulations, why burden these low-income drivers, who toil all day in the sun and rain, with strict regulations? Justice should be equal for all. Therefore, instead of imposing regulations, the government should set up free training centers at the ward level. We should understand that if thousands of drivers become unemployed, the possibility of an increase in crime due to economic hardship in the society cannot be ruled out. According to Article 21 of the Constitution of India, every citizen has the right to live with dignity and earn his livelihood. The Supreme Court has also clarified in the Olga Telles vs. Bombay Municipal Corporation case that the right to livelihood is an integral part of the right to life. Therefore, cancelling someone’s permit just because they do not know the language would be a violation of the Supreme Court’s decision. Azmi requested Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik to consider this principle not as a mere political issue but as an educational and social campaign to maintain the inclusive tradition of Maharashtra by giving adequate time to drivers from migrant migrant states to learn Marathi and by giving appropriate concessions to senior citizens.