Arrested Briton Karan Sajnani Sold Drugs For New Year Parties In Goa On A Large Scale: NCB

Mumbai: With the seizure of 200 kg of marijuana, British national Karan Sajnani, arrested by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) for his alleged involvement in the drug trade, has been remanded to police custody till Monday.

The NCB in its remand application before the Special NDPS court said Karan Sajnani is the kingpin of an international and interstate drug racket.

The drug enforcement agency further accused the British national of circulating drugs coming in from the US to states, including Goa, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Meghalaya. Sajnani sold drugs for New Year’s Eve on a large scale, the NCB claimed.

He was the prime supplier for New Year parties in Goa, which were attended by hundreds of domestic tourists from different parts of India, the NCB claimed, stating that it wanted to verify and obtain details of all persons who had purchased drugs from Sajnani over the last few months.

In his defence to the court, Sajnani claimed that the marijuana recovered from him is meant for herbal cigarettes which are available on online platforms.

“I sell these online as these are organic smokes. It is made of rose petals and leaves. It looks like marijuana. It is used by people who want to quit smoking,” Karan Sajnani argued.

The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) charged Karan Sajnani with drug trafficking following the seizure of close to 200 kg of contraband from his possession in Mumbai. Two women, identified as Rahila and Shaista Furniturewala were also arrested during the raids on Saturday.

Rahila is facing charges of drug financing owing to transactions between her and Karan Sajnani. The former manager of a female Bollywood actor, Rahila has also been remanded to NCB custody till Monday while Shaista was granted bail since she was charged with consumption.

Karan Sajnani told the court on Sunday that Rahila is his girlfriend and merely helped him with some transactions because he is a foreign national.

Meanwhile, special public prosecutor Atul Sarpande sought Karan Sajnani’s remand arguing that it was key to finding out who is supplying him with drugs. The NCB also informed the court that contraband seized from Karan Sajnani will be sent for forensic analysis to confirm if the drug recovered from him was indeed marijuana or not.

According to the NCB, Rahila allegedly said in her statement that her role was financing illicit drug trafficking and harbouring offenders. She has therefore been charged for abetment and criminal conspiracy.

Shaista in her statement claimed that her role was limited to the consumption of narcotics drugs or psychotropic substances, NCB said in the remand application.

The NCB, in its remand application for Karan Sajnani, claimed that he packaged the marijuana as pre-rolled joints and sold them to clients in Mumbai and other places. He has been charged with illegal import/export, transportation, sale and purchase of psychotropic substances along with relevant sections of the law concerning an attempt to commit offence, abetment and criminal conspiracy.