Delhi Police’s Special Cell made a significant breakthrough in the ongoing investigation into the largest-ever cocaine bust in the capital, arresting Jitendra Pal Singh, alias Jassi, from Amritsar’s airport. Singh was attempting to flee to the United Kingdom after authorities seized over 500 kg of cocaine, valued at approximately ₹5,000 crore, earlier in the week. Singh’s arrest is the fifth in connection to the case and has further unveiled connections to international drug cartels operating across India, the UK, and Dubai.
Singh, a 40-year-old Indian citizen and permanent UK resident for the past 17 years, had flown into India from London to oversee the cartel’s operations. After the massive cocaine seizure, Singh attempted to escape back to the UK but was apprehended thanks to a Look Out Circular (LOC) issued against him by Delhi Police. Authorities believe Singh played a critical role in managing the smuggling operations and had links to larger criminal networks with tentacles stretching across continents.
The investigation has also flagged the involvement of another key figure, Virendra Basoya, an Indian citizen now residing in Dubai. Basoya is believed to be one of the masterminds, if not the kingpin, of the drug smuggling network. Basoya’s connections to organized crime came to light during interrogations of the suspects already in custody. Although he was previously arrested in an unrelated case, he managed to secure bail and fled to Dubai after a raid in Pune last year.
In a significant twist, Basoya’s name was also linked to a previous raid in Maharashtra where drugs worth ₹3,000 crore, including mephedrone (known as ‘meow meow’), were seized. Police believe Basoya has close ties to Tushar Goyal, another main accused in this case. Goyal was reportedly recruited into the drug cartel by Basoya and was offered ₹3 crore per delivery for each of the 100 consignments of cocaine. It was Basoya who had sent Singh to India to manage the cartel’s operations.
Further investigation has revealed that Singh, upon his arrival in Delhi, met Goyal at a hotel in the city’s Panchsheel area before heading to Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, to collect the consignment of drugs. The police have also identified a Mumbai-based supplier connected to the cartel, hinting at a larger, multi-city drug network. Authorities are also investigating possible links between Basoya and Dawood Ibrahim’s ‘D-Company’, a notorious crime syndicate.
The crackdown on this international drug smuggling network comes on the heels of recent police action in Delhi, including the arrest of two Afghan nationals caught with heroin and cocaine, as well as the seizure of 1.6 kg of cocaine from a passenger arriving at Delhi airport from Liberia.
