D for Dawood, D for drugs: Don now Mandrax King

DON'S DRUG NET: Mandrax, an illegal drug, brings in most of Dawood's money.

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Keywords: Mandrax, Dawood Ibrahim

Mumbai: Mandrax, a small tablet, usually white in colour was used as sleeping pill till some time ago. These days, it's produced illegally and has become the most popular drug for addicts in Africa and Europe. It’s also popular in top nightclubs across Europe, US and Canada.

Mandrax is also Dawood's new passion and brings in most of his money. His syndicate has now developed an intricate “Mandrax supply grid” in Africa.

They land the drug in South Africa, a major hotspot for international trafficking.

Every year for the past 10 years, the biggest Mandrax seizures have been reported from South Africa. Last year alone, 19 million Mandrax tablets were seized there.

From South Africa, Dawood's Mandrax is reportedly sent across Africa to Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Nigeria, Morocco.

These countries forward the drug across the Mediterranean to Europe and also across the North Atlantic to Canada.

Dawood has allegedly built this Mandrax empire with four close associates - Ibrahim Khan from Peshawar, Majid Khan and Jabbir Motiwala from Karachi and Manzar in Cape Town.

Mandrax is produced secretly in small pharmaceutical factories in Gujarat, Maharashtra and Rajasthan.

It takes only 99 paise to manufacture one Mandrax tablet and when the consignment touches the African shores, the cost goes up to about $1 or Rs 40. The price goes up manifold when it reaches Europe.

Mandrax is usually smuggled in cargo containers and one container has 10 crore tablets. So even one container touching African shores means huge profits for the Mandrax King.

So if you thought Dawood's money stopped growing with the Interpol and the Americans keeping tabs on him, think again.

The Mandrax empire ensures his network only gets bigger.