Working on information about a cartel active in Delhi, Punjab, UP and Rajasthan, the Special Cell, on November 18, arrested Mangal (33) while delivering heroin to one Harjinder Singh (28) at Burari Chowk. Two kg heroin was recovered from their possession, besides one car and four mobile phones with many SIM cards, DCP (Special Cell) Sanjiv Yadav said.
His arrest was followed by the arrest of another gang member, Ashwini, near Seelampur fly over on November 20 and recovery of 500 kg of heroin during a search of his house in Punjab, he said.
The supplier of the gang, Mohammad Akhtar, was arrested from Daryaganj on November 25 and a search of his flat in Seelampur led to the recovery of 525 gm heroin, Yadav said.
Previously, Akhtar was arrested in connection with drug trafficking in 2006 and 2008 and he confessed to obtaining heroin from one Shahzad whom he had met in Tihar jail.
He was allegedly involved in drug trafficking for a decade and was convicted earlier after his arrest by Special Cell. He revealed that he procured heroin from Ezeh Chinedu Joseph, a Nigerian who in turn procured it from one Hazi Imamudin, an Afghan national, living at Jangpura in south Delhi, the official said.
Further interrogation led to the arrest of Joseph and Ugo Geoffery Franklin, both Nigerians, on December 1, while they were carrying one kg heroin in their car in New Friends Colony, he said.
Acting on this information, Special cell sleuths nabbed Imamuddin from Jangpura Extension area on December 3 and his arrest led to seizure of 400 gm heroin.
When grilled by the cops, Imamuddin confessed to procuring heroin from two other Afghans, Zaki and Gulam Ahmed, who frequently visited India by air route carrying heroin capsules swallowed by them, he said.
Further investigation is underway to identify other members of the gang and trace the delivery and supply chain followed by them, the officer further said.