Press "Enter" to skip to content

220 kg of ganja worth Rs 4.5 lakh seized in Chennai

image

In a massive haul on Friday evening, the Narcotics Control Bureau (Chennai zonal unit) seized 220 kg of ganja on the Grand North Trunk Road near Puzhal. The contraband was found to be worth close to Rs 4.5 lakh.

According to multiple reports, the Narcotics Control Bureau received a tip off based on which the sleuths intercepted a car along the Tamil Nadu-Andhra Pradesh Highway. The inspection conducted in the north of Chennai led to the arrest of three suspects and the vehicle was seized as well. Initial inquiries have reportedly revealed that the accused were bringing in ganja from Andhra Pradesh.

The three arrested men include Sheik Ansar (40), Sheik Ahmed (30) and Sushil Thakrae (26) who all belong to Amravati district in Maharashtra. A case was registered against them and they were remanded to judicial custody in Puzhal prison after being produced before a magistrate court, reports ToI.

As per a PTI report the accused confessed that they had procured the contraband from a dealer named Israeli who supplied ganja to various places on demand. The Narcotics Control Bureau is now working with special agencies in the neighbouring state to locate the dealer and have seized the phones of the accused.

Efforts are underway to analyse their call records and identify members of the larger network.

This is the second big bust in the state in a week. On August 9, customs officials recovered 104 kg of ganja worth Rs 15 lakh from a sport utility vehicle (SUV) near Tuticorin. The contraband was being smuggled from Madurai to Sri Lanka via the coastal town. The vehicle search was conducted near the Tharuvaikulam bus stop on the East coast road. When they stopped the vehicle, they found four gunny bags in it with the contraband.

The operation was led by the Assistant Commissioner of Customs V Rajkumar Moses, who conducted inquiries with two men found in the car –  M Pandi and M Rajaji from Madurai. They were further booked under the Narcotics, Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985.

In this case too the drugs were being smuggled from Andhra Pradesh to Tamil Nadu. Madurai is allegedly considered the storage and distribution for the southern part of Tamil Nadu as well as Kerala.

Source: The News Minute