New Delhi: Indian narcotics officials have arrested alleged international drug trafficking gang leader Virendra Singh Basoya in Dubai and brought him to Delhi in connection with a major mephedrone smuggling case.
The case began in February 2024 after a suspect was caught in Pune, Maharashtra, with mephedrone. As the probe widened, authorities seized a total of 1,837 kg of the drug—867 kg from Pune and 970 kg from Delhi—valued at around ₹6,000 crore.
Investigators said the consignment was routed into India through an international trafficking network and that Basoya coordinated operations from within the country. The case was transferred to the Mumbai unit of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), which also found Basoya had close links with Sandeep Duniya, described as a key accused in a major Delhi drug case. Interpol assistance was sought and Red Corner Notices were issued against both; Duniya is reported to have fled from Dubai to Pakistan.
Basoya’s arrest was pursued under the NCB’s “Operation Global Hunt”, a three-year special drive aimed at identifying and bringing back leaders of international gangs allegedly smuggling drugs into India while hiding in places such as Dubai, Canada and parts of Europe. Basoya was detained by Dubai Police in June following inputs from Indian agencies and was deported to Delhi, where the NCB took him into custody for further questioning.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah said the operation reflects continued surveillance and coordination with UAE authorities, adding that traffickers cannot evade the law by hiding abroad.
