Two held in Ahmedabad for selling narcotic substances disguised as tyre repair chemical

The Special Operations Group (SOG) of the Crime Branch in Ahmedabad on Monday arrested two men from Saraspur for allegedly selling narcotic substances under the guise of a chemical product used for tyre repairs. The duo were caught with 410 grams of marijuana and several boxes of a chemical solution suspected to be used for intoxication during a raid at their residence in the Girdhar Master Compound area.

According to officials, the operation was carried out by a team from the SOG following a tip-off that narcotics was being sold from a house near the Gurudwara on Meter Gauge Road. Acting on the information, the police raided the premises around 1.30 pm on Monday.

At the site, the team found two individuals, Latif Ahmed Munnabhai Sheikh (39) and Fardeen Umar Hussain Syed (31), sitting on the porch of a single-storey house. Upon being questioned, the duo appeared nervous, prompting officers to search the premises.

The search led to the recovery of a black plastic bag containing 123 small transparent sachets filled with a plant-based substance suspected to be cannabis. In addition, police seized two 75ml bottles of vulcanising fluid chemical, which the accused allegedly used to mask the sale of the narcotic substance.

A further search of the house uncovered four large cardboard boxes containing the same chemical product, with 902 tubes, collectively valued at ₹45,100. Police also found ₹3.02 lakh in cash, which the accused reportedly admitted was proceeds from the sale of ganja and chemical tubes.

In total, the SOG recovered items worth ₹3.8 lakh, including mobile phones, identity documents, weighing scales, and packaging materials.

During questioning, Sheikh allegedly told investigators that he would frequently travel to Surat’s Ashwini Kumar railway area to procure small quantities of ganja from unidentified suppliers. He and Syed would then repackage the substance into smaller sachets and sell them locally at higher prices. The duo also allegedly sold the “chemical vulcanising fluid” to be inhaled for intoxication.

An FSL officer later confirmed, through chemical testing, that the seized plant material was indeed cannabis. The substances have been sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory in Gandhinagar for detailed analysis.

The two accused have been booked under Sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, along with Section BNS for negligent conduct involving a hazardous substance. Police said the investigation is ongoing to trace the supplier operating from Surat.