Mumbai, May 2 -- The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has busted a major international narcotics ring and has seized 349 kg of high-grade cocaine worth about Rs.1,745 crore from Mumbai and adjoining areas, the agency said on Friday. The NCB claimed it has also arrested one alleged member of the network, though his identity has not been disclosed. "Preliminary investigations revealed that the cocaine was smuggled into India concealed inside a cavity in an imported machine tool," the officials aware of the matter said. The operation, codenamed 'Operation White Strike', was carried out jointly by NCB's Delhi and Mumbai units and targeted a highly organised international drug trafficking network using concealed transport mechanisms and warehousing infrastructure, the officials added. "The contraband was seized in two phases following coordinated raids in the Kalamboli-Bhiwandi corridor in the Navi Mumbai-Thane region," the agency said. In the first phase, NCB teams intercepted a vehicle near the KWC Warehousing Complex in Kalamboli, Navi Mumbai. A search led to the recovery of 136 packets of cocaine, each weighing around 1 kg, officials said. The packets were hidden inside cartons containing items such as cricket pads and gloves to avoid detection. "An individual accompanying the vehicle was apprehended on the spot and he spilled the beans during sustained interrogation," officials said. The accused, they added, revealed the presence of another consignment stored in Bhiwandi, a key warehousing hub. Acting on this input, NCB officials searched a warehouse at Laxman Compound near Rehnal Bus Stand in Bhiwandi and recovered an additional 213 packets of cocaine, each weighing 1 kg. Investigations showed that the cocaine was originally smuggled via sea inside a machine with a specially designed cavity large enough to store the packets. Each packet was wrapped in nine layers of different types of polythene, including one coated with a black greasy substance to evade detection....