- “You won’t find weed being sold anywhere now,” says CIA DIG Haider.
- Authorities await verification of Sahir Hasan’s financial transactions.
- Police search for Islamabad-based key week supplier named Bazil.
KARACHI: With the authorities continuing to probe various aspects of the infamous Mustafa Amir’s alleged murder, the arrest of prime suspect Armaghan Qureshi along with Sahir Hasan, son of renowned actor Sajid Hasan, has disrupted the operation of the drug cartel in Karachi’s upmarket neighbourhoods, The News reported on Tuesday.
The case relates to Mustafa’s, a BBA student, alleged kidnapping and murder after going missing on January 6. The whole saga unfolded after Armaghan opened fire at a team of the Anti-Violent Crime Cell (AVCC) — a specialised unit of the Karachi police responsible for tackling cases related to murder and extortion — during a raid at his residence in Karachi’s DHA on February 8.
With possible facets of money laundering, fraud and illegal call centre, the investigation so far also unravelled the presence of alleged drug trafficking in the said case.
The resulting crackdown has caused a halt in the supply of marijuana — commonly known as weed — causing massive financial losses to drug dealers.
Amir’s murder and the subsequent arrests have exposed multiple aspects of a drug cartel that had been operating in the city for years.
Use of dark web, social media platforms
Karachi’s high-end weed market is dominated by three different types: Jungle Boy, which is the most expensive, as it is sold at Rs15,000 per gram; Gelato, which is priced at Rs12,000 per gram; and Pamela, which is the least expensive but still costs Rs10,000 per gram.
These drugs are being bought and sold reportedly on the dark web and across various social media platforms and apps. Some courier companies have also reportedly been linked to their transportation.
In Karachi, this trade was controlled by three individuals, but now two of them are dead and the third is in police custody. The big question is; does the death and arrest of these three mean the cartel has permanently been shut down?
Experts believe that completely dismantling such networks is nearly impossible.
While this particular setup has been disrupted for now, it is only a matter of time before new dealers and suppliers emerge.
This billion-rupee industry is too profitable for the mafia and new players to abandon. In the end, the trade will continue, even if the faces change.
“You won’t find weed being sold anywhere now,” Crime Investigation Agency (CIA) Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Muqaddas Haider told the publication, adding: “The suppliers have disappeared, and the supply has almost completely stopped”.
“If it’s still being sold, it’s only within very limited, closed circles, handled with extreme caution and at significantly higher black-market prices,” the police officer added.
It is worth mentioning here that during Hasan’s interrogation, he disclosed that 75% of the money he earned from drug sales was deposited into an account managed by his father’s manager.
Following this revelation, police have begun investigating his bank transactions. If these details are verified, police may formally include both the manager and Hasan’s father in the investigation.
Police clarified that they have only interviewed the manager but have not yet formally included him in the investigation. Authorities are awaiting verification of Hasan’s financial transactions before taking further action.
“We are contacting the banks through the proper procedure to verify these transactions,” said DIG Haider.
“Only after confirmation will we decide whether or not to officially involve them in the case,” he added.
The investigating officer revealed that Hasan was the only suspect in police custody in the drug case.
Another individual who was initially detained was later released after it was confirmed that he had left the drugs business two or three years ago following a serious accident that had put him in a coma.
Police are also searching for an individual named Bazil, who is reportedly based in Islamabad and is the key supplier of weed. Investigators believe that if Bazil is caught and provides information about courier companies involved in drug shipments, police would send official inquiries to these companies and demand clarifications regarding their role.
Regarding the alleged involvement of politicians, bureaucrats and showbiz personalities, investigators said that different individuals have made various claims.
However, police clarified that these accusations appear to be personal vendettas rather than based on solid evidence.
“There’s no point in making random arrests,” said another senior officer adding: “We’re continuing our work, and suppliers will only be apprehended when we recover weed from them. This will strengthen our case. We won’t engage in any wrongful tactics just to showcase our performance. Doing so would only weaken our own investigation”.
