Mumbai, May 20 (PTI) The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has transferred drug trafficker Faisal Javed Shaikh to a prison in Chennai by pursuing his preventive detention under the Prevention of Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (PIT-NDPS) Act, officials said on Tuesday.

This is the first case in the state in recent times where a drug trafficker has been placed under preventive detention and transferred to another prison from Mumbai, an official said.

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He said Shaikh was transferred from Arthur Road Jail in Central Mumbai to Puzhal Central Prison in Chennai on Tuesday.

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The official said the accused, who has links with an underworld gang, was allegedly running his drug nexus from behind bars.

He said during the investigation, it had come to light that Shaikh, a resident of the Dongri in south Mumbai, was directly involved in a large-scale trafficking of narcotic substances, including mephedrone and cocaine.

He had three NDPS cases to his name.

The probe agency has seized assets worth more than Rs 6.4 crore and has frozen proceeds of crime comprising cash, gold, silver, and immovable properties under the NDPS Act.

The Mumbai police also invoked provisions of the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) against him in 2025, the official said.

Intelligence inputs further suggest that Shaikh has connections to global drug trafficking networks, posing a serious threat to national security and public health, he said.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)