Yasin, who is the 10th accused arrested in this drug cartel case, has been remanded to the ATS custody until July 12, said an official.

In connection to this case, the Gujarat ATS in October 2023 learnt that Rao had smuggled 8 kg of heroin with the help of his Pakistan-based drug trafficker — identified as Murtuza; a Gujarat-registered boat had taken the delivery of the contraband in international waters near the Oman coast, from Murtuza. The boat had then delivered the contraband on the coast near Veraval harbour, which was then taken to Rajasthan’s Abu Road by road and delivered to a foreign national in New Delhi.

Following this, in March this year, the Gujarat ATS arrested drug dealer Isa Hussain Rao’s three relatives — including his wife and son — for allegedly helping him in smuggling 8 kg of heroin that had landed at the Veraval coastline through a sea route. Rao, a native of Jodia village, was one of the main accused in the seizure of heroin worth Rs 600 crore by the Gujarat ATS in Morbi district in 2021; he has been absconding since then.

While following the money trail and conducting technical analysis of leads in the case, the Surat crime branch found out Yasin’s involvement in the drug racket. The Gujarat ATS then raided his Greater Noida residence on July 3 and seized 460 gram of heroin from his possession; he was arrested on July 4, sources said.

Yasin has confessed to the crime; around eight to nine months ago, he had purchased 4 kg of heroin from a Nigerian national in New Delhi’s Tilaknagar. He later sold some of it and stocked 460 gram with him, said the ATS on Friday.