The Special Cell of Delhi Police has arrested Tilak Prasad Sharma (35), a resident of East Pendam, Sikkim, in connection with a massive Rs 13,000 crore international drug trafficking case. The arrest followed a sustained inter-state operation and the execution of a non-bailable warrant issued by a Delhi court.
Sharma is wanted in a 2024 FIR registered under multiple provisions of the NDPS Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. The case involves the seizure of 1,290 kg of cocaine and mephedrone, along with 40 kg of Thai marijuana, exposing an international cartel with links to Pakistan, the UK, Malaysia, Thailand, the UAE, and India.
Deputy Commissioner of Police Amit Kaushik confirmed that 17 accused have been arrested so far, while several foreign-based handlers remain at large. Sharma reportedly acted as a courier for the syndicate, smuggling Thai marijuana suitcases from Thailand to India multiple times. The contraband was allegedly handed to Himanshu, an associate of another accused, Tushar Goyal, and recovered from a godown in Mahipalpur.
After the arrest of key cartel members in Delhi in October 2024, Sharma was instructed to change his travel route—from Thailand to Sri Lanka, Nepal, and finally India—to evade authorities. During this period, he was detained by Nepal Customs but escaped from a Kathmandu jail during local unrest and returned to India, going underground in Sikkim.
Special Cell teams traced him to Namchi East, where, with local police assistance, Sharma was apprehended and produced before a court for transit remand to Delhi.
Police investigations revealed that Sharma studied up to Class 10, completed an ITI course in fitting, and previously worked as a machine operator in a pharmaceutical company. He later traveled to Dubai, where he allegedly connected with members of the international narcotics syndicate.
Legal proceedings are ongoing, and authorities are intensifying efforts to track down other absconding cartel members, including the mastermind Virendra Basoya, who is currently abroad, and his son Rishabh, against whom a Red Corner Notice has been issued.
