Have approached MEA to trace foreign drug peddler in Aryan Khan's chats: NCB

Additional Solicitor General of India, representing the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) in the Mumbai drug bust case on Wednesday told the Special Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) court that they had to approach the ministry of external affairs to trace the foreign drug peddler who was found in Aryan Khan's WhatsApp conversations.

The statement comes in connection with NCB's earlier statement that Aryan Khan, son of Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan, "has a role in so far as illicit procurement and distribution of contraband is concerned". Meanwhile, the Special NDPS court in Mumbai has adjourned the hearing till tomorrow for further arguments.

"Hard drugs, bulk. Can't be for personal consumption. We have approached the MEA to find how we can find this foreign national," Additional Solicitor General told the court.

At the same time, senior advocate Amit Desai, who represented Aryan Khan in favour of the bail plea claimed that the star kid was apprehended before he even got to the cruise. "Nothing was recovered from Aryan Khan," Desai told the court.

The NCB has strongly opposed Aryan Khan's bail plea saying that notwithstanding the quantity of recovery, Aryan Khan can not be given bail as the primary investigation of the agency reveals that he is part of the nexus. Aryan Khan used to procure drugs through Arbaaz Merchant and Arbaaz's sources, the NCB said terming it as an "illegal drug chain".

A total of 20 people, including two Nigerian nationals, have been arrested so far in the case related to the seizure of drugs following a raid at a party on the Cordelia cruise ship off the Mumbai coast on 2 October.