The narcotics drug racket busted by the authorities last week is getting bigger by the day. The number of drug peddlers nabbed has gone up to 10 with the State Excise department arresting two more. Those arrested include a Nigerian Bernard Wilson (26) whose visa had expired and a hotel manager Mohammed Zeeshan.
Deputy Commissioner of excise department A Ajay Rao told the reporters 12 grams cocaine from the duo. "This is second time that the Nigerian has been arrested. Earlier he was arrested in 2012 in a similar case", he said.
Zeeshan was an events manager and he was working in cahoots with Wilson. He was arrested outside ITC Grand Kakatiya, a five star hotel bang opposite the Chief Minister's residence in posh Begumpet area.
This is the first major success the department achieved after opening a toll free number for the people to tip off about such activities.
The department had received an anonymous call two days ago about the two drug peddlers which led to their arrest, Ajay Rao said.
Wilson who had come to Hyderabad for studies was sourcing the narcotics from abroad with the help of his contacts and it was being smuggled by people coming to the city.
The gang was selling the cocaine for Rs 10,000 to 15,000 per gram and most of their clients were party goers and youth from the affluent families.
"Their modus operandi was to find clients through social media. They had typical multi level marketting method in which they will offer a free dope or discount to the client who will bring more clients", Rao said.
Earlier the excise department had arrested 8 persons who were peddling psychotropic substance lSD specially to the school and college students, employees of MNCs and the people from the Telugu film industry in Hyderabad.
They were working in five different modules and pushing the young children including girls into the deadly clutches of the drugs. Officials said in since cases the school girls when they were not in a position to pay Rs 3000 per dose were forced to send them nude photos over Whatsapp.
Those arrested earlier include Calvin Mascarenhas, Abdul Waheed, Nikhil Shetty, Ravi Kiran, Brendan Ben, Aman Naidu, Kundan Singh and Abdul Quddus.