NCB seizes drugs worth ₹40 crore in Surat raid, Bishnoi gang link suspected

The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) of India has seized a large consignment of narcotics, including MD drugs, opium and charas, worth ₹40 crore during a late-night raid near Gujarat’s Surat district. Cash and electronic items recovered during the operation have increased the seizure’s total value to more than ₹45 crore, officials said.

The raid was carried out around midnight at Dastan Residency on the outskirts of Dastan village in Palsana taluka of Surat district. Acting on specific intelligence, an NCB team from Bengaluru tracked a Toyota Fortuner bearing a Karnataka registration number (KA-20-P-6767), suspected to be transporting narcotics from Bengaluru through Maharashtra to Gujarat.

According to officials, the vehicle was followed to Dastan village, where it briefly went out of sight. The NCB then sought assistance from Surat City Police and subsequently coordinated with Surat district police, as the location fell under their jurisdiction. The Fortuner was found parked near a residential building in Dastan Residency and was kept under surveillance overnight.

In the early hours, when a man was seen opening the vehicle and removing suspected narcotics and other items, the NCB team moved in and detained him. The officers then entered the house linked to the vehicle, where they found a man and a young woman.

Searches of the car and the premises led to the seizure of 35 to 38 kg of MD drugs, including 20 to 25 kg in powder form and 12 to 13 kg in liquid form, along with around 1.5 kg of opium and quantities of charas. The agency also recovered ₹25 lakh in cash and newly purchased mobile phones worth ₹4 lakh.

Preliminary investigations suggest that the arrested individuals may be linked to the Bishnoi gang.