In a massive drug bust, the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) on Monday, June 21, stated that it has seized over 2,000 kgs of ganja (cannabis) from a truck in Hyderabad. Four persons have been arrested in connection with the seizure. A team of officials from NCB Hyderabad Sub-Zone and NCB Bengaluru Zonal Unit intercepted the truck at Pedda Amberpet Toll Plaza in Hyderabad and seized more than 2 tonnes of ganja from the vehicle. According to officials, the truck was headed to Maharashtra.
In a release, Amit Ghawate, Zonal Director of the NCB in Bengaluru, stated that the ganja was concealed between loads of raw cashew nut shells in 1,080 packets. Each of these packets weighed approximately 2 kgs. This method of packing of ganja into two-kilogram compressed bricks is typical of that sourced from Andhra Odisha Border (AOB), the NCB said.
The ganja was destined for Pune, Maharashtra, for further distribution in retail in Pune and Mumbai, the NCB added. The four who were arrested have been identified as K Kale, S Kale, C Kale and B Dhoralkar. All of the accused hail from Osmanabad district of Maharashtra. The ganja, or cannabis, has been seized under the provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985. The NDPS Act prohibits and criminalises the sale, possession, transportation and cultivation of cannabis in certain forms in India.
Meanwhile, in a separate seizure, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) seized 3 kilograms of heroin worth around Rs 19.5 crore from Hyderabad airport. In a release, the DRI said that officers intercepted a Tanzanian male passenger who flew into Hyderabad’s Rajiv Gandhi International Airport from Johannesburg via Doha in the early hours of June 21. “A detailed examination of his checked-in baggage resulted in the recovery of 3 kg of off-white powder which was concealed beneath the base of his trolley bag. The substance tested positive for heroin. The drug was seized and the person was arrested under the provisions of NDPS Act 1985,” the DRI said. Heroin, an opioid derivative, is highly addictive. It is a banned substance under the NDPS Act in India.