Delhi Police Special Cell has identified a mysterious international drug lord named Rana Tarandeep in the probe of a major 2024 drug trafficking case worth Rs 13,000 crore. The case involved seizures of cocaine and Thai marijuana smuggled into Delhi. A key supplier was recently arrested from the UAE.
In the investigation of the Rs 13,000 crore drug trafficking case from October 2024, Delhi Police Special Cell has pinpointed a mysterious figure known as Rana Tarandeep as a key suspect. According to police sources, WhatsApp messages reveal that Tarandeep collaborated with Dubai-based cartel leader Virender Basoiya alias Veeru to smuggle cocaine and directed its refinement in Gujarat. Officers are still verifying if Tarandeep is his real name.
On October 1, 2024, 562 kg of cocaine was seized in Mahipalpur, South Delhi, followed by 208 kg from a shop in West Delhi's Ramesh Nagar on October 10. On October 13, Special Cell and Gujarat Police recovered 518 kg worth Rs 5,000 crore during a raid at Aavkar Drugs in Ankleshwar, Gujarat. In total, 1,289 kg of cocaine and 40 kg of hydroponic Thai marijuana were confiscated.
On Monday, the Special Cell arrested Ritik Bajaj, a major supplier, from the UAE. Bajaj supplied Thai marijuana from Thailand to Basoiya's cartel and sent his largest consignment of 40 kg last October for distribution across Indian cities. So far, 19 individuals have been arrested, and a chargesheet exceeding 10,000 pages has been filed in Patiala House Court.
The probe uncovered at least three fake firms set up in the names of rickshaw drivers in South India to facilitate drug movement. Court records show over Rs 73 lakh was transferred via hawala. Cocaine arrived from South America through Dubai and multiple South Indian ports to Aavkar Drugs for processing, then transported as medical consignments via Pharma Solutions Services to Delhi-NCR. An officer stated, “These were transported as medicine packages of Pharma Solutions Services via road to Delhi-NCR.”
Chemist Mayur Desale at Pharma Solutions was in touch with Tarandeep, updating him on details from the cocaine mixture's color to prepared quantities. Middleman Amit Kumar Masoriya brokered deals between Aavkar Drugs and Pharma Solutions. Multiple pharmaceutical companies in South India and Gujarat, including five legitimate firms and three shell companies, were used to smuggle the drugs into the capital. The arrest of Bajaj was executed by a team led by ACP Kailash Bhist.
