Drugs worth Rs250m smuggled to Africa, ME: report

KARACHI: A recent investigative report submitted to the Sindh High Court (SHC) by Karachi Police has revealed that drugs worth Rs250 million were smuggled from Sindh and Balochistan to Africa and the Middle East with the involvement of international smugglers.

As per the report, the drugs were smuggled via the sea, while the money made through smuggling was invested in real estates in the UAE and Oman.

The report further revealed that the families of people — to whom the drugs were sent — had been held as hostages by smugglers to guarantee the timely delivery of the drug money.

"The abductees were tortured and even killed if the drugs or the money did not successfully reach the dealers," the report said, adding that the operators of thisnetwork were found to be based in Gwadar and Turbat in Balochistan, while the network in Sindh operates from Karachi's Malir area.

It takes a year for drugs to reach and be sold in Africa or the Middle East, the report said, adding that a Gwadar resident named Jan Mohammad alias Jaffar is the ringleader of the international drug racket.

Qambar Bizenjo, the son of Jan Mohammad, is responsible for sending drugs to Africa and the Middle East, while Saleem Rind, Nusratullah Bizenjo, and Adeeb Shah operate from Karachi, the report revealed.

According to the report, the smuggling gang had rented a bungalow in Defense Phase 7 of Karachi and had kept some Nigerian national as hostages therein. The abduction of the same Nigerian nationals was reported to the chief of Karachi Police on his WhatsApp.

The three Nigerians were rescued and released by a station house officer (SHO) and a station investigation officer (SIO) after receiving a bribe. A case was registered against both the police officers and they were later arrested, the report said.