20-Year Jail Term After Smuggling Bid

Thirty-seven years after he was arrested for allegedly trying to smuggle 2,365 Kg hashish out of India, a special NDPS (Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances) court on Monday sentenced Mulund resident Nitin Khimji Bhanushali to 20 years of imprisonment for possessing, transporting and attempting to export the contraband material.

- Revu Suresh

MUMBAI:

In July 1987, Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) officers were tipped off about a huge quantity of hashish concealed in drums of mango chutney slated for export to London. The drums were stored in a gala in Suyog Industrial Estate in Vikhroli, which was hired by Bhanushali through a broker, Suryakant Sachde.

A search by DRI officials led to the recovery of 550 plastic drums, among which 194 drums were packed with 4,365 kgs of dark brown hashish worth over ₹2.619 crore.