Bengaluru-Hyderabad NCB team seizes 3,400 kg ganja

As per a press release by Amit Ghawate, Zonal Director, NCB-Bengaluru, the ganja was packed in 141 gunny bags which were concealed under tarpaulin sheets and further covered by nursery saplings. The arrested persons are D Shinde, MR Kamble and N Jogdand, all from Latur district, Maharashtra.

The seizure follows earlier seizures of a total of 3,992 kg of ganja, resulting in the arrest of 16 persons and the busting of 3 separate ganja trafficking networks.

Maharashtra ‘kingpin’

The present consignment was operated by a kingpin in Maharashtra who had

arranged it for separate drug syndicates in Pune, Mumbai and Thane as well as in other states. These syndicates peddle the drug in colleges and parties and to individuals through an elaborate network. The source of the contraband is the ‘AOB’ (Andhra-Odisha Border) area.

During 2020, a total of 1,971 kg of ganja was seized, resulting in the arrest of 8 persons. This year, by the end of August 2021, a total of over 7,500 kg of ganja has already been seized by NCB, Bengaluru, resulting in the arrest of 25 persons.

Naxal link

Illegal ganja cultivation in India is largely concentrated around the naxal-infected Andhra-Odisha border areas. Ganja from this region finds its way all over the country and even to Sri Lanka. The difficult terrain makes this area a challenging task for the law enforcement agencies to conduct periodic destruction of illicitly grown ganja. The other major ganja cultivation regions are the hilly terrains of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. The north-eastern states are also prone to ganja cultivation due to favourable climatic conditions and inaccessibility.