Drug peddlers well stocked for New Year

Party animals in Hyderabad might just snort their way into the New Year. City police estimate that the drug mafia from Mumbai and Goa has already smuggled at least 500 grams of cocaine into the city for the many New Year celebrations planned across Hyderabad, particularly on the city outskirts.

The cops are apprehensive that by the time the New Year is rung in, another equal amount of the drug would have contributed to the high of the revellers.

Police suspect that apart from Vikram Malhotra, an event manager who was arrested recently for possessing cocaine, there are several other operators in the city who are in the process of procuring drugs for the New Year celebrations.

Yet another drug peddler, Shaik Jaweed, was nabbed by police on Tuesday. Party goers, especially those going for rave parties in farmhouses, have been in touch with drug peddlers, the police say.

In fact, according to the police, drug peddlers in the city have been in touch with their Mumbai counterparts for the last few months for procuring cocaine for New Year party goers. The police assumption finds corroboration in Malhotra’s confession. “I met Basheer alias Michael, a Uganda national, in a party at a pub in Mumbai and we exchanged phone numbers and we had been in touch for the last few months,” said Malhotra in his confession to the police. According to sources, several drug peddlers including Basheer have been busy sneaking into the city cocaine with a view to making quick money during the New Year by activating their network much on time. The network includes George Peter, who was arrested along with Malhotra. George Peter is an agent of Basheer and, in his confession to the police, said that it was two months ago that Basheer informed him that cocaine had to be delivered to Malhotra. “Basheer came to my house in Sainikpuri and gave me 15 grams of cocaine and told me to sell it at Rs 3,500 per gram,” Peter said.

According to officials, pubs are the meeting points for drug peddlers and its customers to clinch their future deals besides developing rapport. Since 2010 George Peter has been staying in India without a valid passport and has been part of the drug network. He came to India in early 2000 on a student visa and pursued several courses.

Basheer had been a resident of Hyderabad till about six months ago but later moved his base to Mumbai to pursue IT-related courses.