Chennai:

Customs officials seized hydroponic ganja valued at Rs 23.5 crore from Chennai Airport on Wednesday and arrested three people in this connection.

The contraband was smuggled from Thailand, concealed in soft drink powder packets.

According to sources, the hydroponic ganja, cultivated using water as the primary medium, is known by various street names, including OG, sugarcone, and Kush.

Tamil Nadu has increasingly become a key transit hub for international drug syndicates, with banned substances like methamphetamine and its precursor, pseudoephedrine, being trafficked to countries such as Sri Lanka, Malaysia, and Australia, where demand is high, the sources said.

In 2024, the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) and the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) seized methamphetamine worth approximately Rs 380 crore.

Intelligence sources indicate that a significant portion of the drugs are sourced from Myanmar and transported to Sri Lanka.

On November 17, 2024, Chennai city police arrested Nigerian national Philip, believed to be the mastermind behind a cartel smuggling methamphetamine into Tamil Nadu and distributing it in smaller quantities.

The Arumbakkam police have so far arrested 12 individuals in connection with the case.

The drug, which costs between Rs 50,000 and Rs 1,00,000 per kilogram in Manipur, is sold for as much as Rs 7 lakh per kilogram in Chennai. In international markets such as Sri Lanka and Australia, its price escalates to several crores.

According to NCB sources, the primary smuggling route involves transporting methamphetamine from Myanmar across the India-Myanmar border into Manipur.

From there, it is carried by human couriers on trains to Tamil Nadu, where it is concealed in vehicles and transported to coastal towns like Rameswaram, Thoothukudi, and Nagapattinam. Once at the coast, the drugs are loaded onto local fishing boats and transferred mid-sea to Sri Lanka via Tamil Nadu’s porous maritime border, the NCB sources added.

Investigations have identified Moreh, a town in Manipur near the India-Myanmar border, as a critical transit hub.

The Tamil community in Moreh is suspected to have links with Chennai’s Red Hills area, further exposing the reach of the drug syndicate.

Authorities have also uncovered evidence suggesting that remnants of the banned Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) may still be clandestinely operating in parts of Tamil Nadu.

In October 2021, former LTTE operative Satkunam alias Sabesan was arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) for his involvement in arms and drug trafficking from Pakistan to Sri Lanka.

Although the LTTE has been defunct for years, security agencies suspect that its highly trained former cadres are engaging in mid-sea smuggling operations, facilitating the transportation of drugs from Tamil Nadu to Sri Lanka and beyond – to Malaysia and Australia.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

Eight control room (CR) mobile vans and an hour-long dramatic chase across the city is what it took Nashik Police to nab drug traffickers and 28 kilograms of ganja. On Tuesday morning, around 2 am, when a red MH 02 registered car tried to breach the Adgaon stop and search checkpoint, Nashik Police sent out an alert and started the chase.

On suspicion of illegal weapons, narcotics, explosives or similar contraband, the control room was alerted within seconds. 8 CR mobiles of Nashik City Police swung into action. The suspect steered clear of the main roads to avoid getting caught. But they couldn’t evade the cops.

The chase continued across Nashik City from Adgaon, Dwarka U-turn, Amardham U-turn, KK Wagh College, to Chakradhar Swami Mandir. Upon search, 28 kg of ganja were found in the car trunk.

“With strategy, our teams successfully managed to catch hold of the driver, without causing any harm to others,” said Nashik City Police.

MH 02 means the car is registered in Mumbai. It was travelling to Navi Mumbai from Dhule.

The Nashik City Police Commissioner felicitated the team involved in the chase.

“Special praise goes to Bhaurao Gangurde and Balkrushna Pawar, among the alert personnel who immediately started the chase,” it said.

Watch the car chase here:

High-Speed Chase in Nashik
7th Jan 2025
Between 2 AM & 3 AM | 1 Hour (Approx)
Our CR Mobiles on Chase: 8

A red MH 02 registered car in transit from Dhule to Navi Mumbai tried to breach our daily Adgaon Stop & Search Checkpoint.

बेकायदेशीर शस्त्रे, अंमली पदार्थ,… pic.twitter.com/kHJBfvk8Df

— नाशिक शहर पोलीस – Nashik City Police (@nashikpolice) January 7, 2025

Netizens praised Nashik Police’s efforts. An X (formerly Twitter) user wrote, “Kudos to our own Fast and Furious team! Outstanding mindfulness and swift action by the duty officers to intercept the vehicle carrying narcotics. Timely intervention like this keeps our communities safe-well done! Jai Maharashtra!!”

“I highly appreciate the efforts taken by Nashik police team. Keep up the good work,” wrote another.

Ghaziabad, UP:

The Crime Branch of the Ghaziabad Police Commissionerate arrested a drug peddler and seized 300 kg of ganja, officials said on Saturday.

The accused has been identified as 24-year-old Mohammad Zafar of Bareilly district.

The contraband, with an estimated value of Rs 2.5 crore in the international market, was concealed inside a truck, Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime Branch) Sachidananad said.

Zafar confessed to the crime and said he used to bring the contraband from Odisha for distribution in the National Capital Region, the officer added.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Seraikela:

Over eight quintals of ganja were seized and two persons were arrested in Jharkhand’s Seraikela-Kharswan district, police said on Saturday.

Acting on a tip-off, a vehicle-checking drive was launched in Ichagarh police station area on Friday night when a speeding trailer was intercepted, they said.

As the trailer was stopped, two persons in it tried to escape but were caught following a chase, police said.

During the search of the vehicle, 27 sacks stuffed with the drug were found, Superintendent of Police Bimal Kumar said Both the persons were arrested and the vehicle impounded, he said.

Each sack contained 30 kg of ganja, totaling 810 kg, the SP said, adding that the value was being evaluated.

Those arrested were identified as Wahid Khan and Karan Gupta, police said.

The trailer was being followed by an SUV, and it managed to escape, they said.

Bimal Kumar said an investigation is underway, and it is suspected that more people are involved in the racket.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)