Interstate cocaine network busted in Kondapur, 3 arrested

Hyderabad: Sleuths of the EAGLE Force, in coordination with Gachibowli Police, arrested an interstate drug peddler and two of his associates during a raid at a flat in Kondapur on Monday. Police seized 32 grams of cocaine worth 3.8 lakh and identified 15 city-based consumers linked to the network.The main accused, Vegesna Murali Krishnam Raju, 24, a native of West Godavari, is an engineering dropout. After working in a series of low-paid jobs in Uttarakhand, Pune, and Goa, Raju became addicted to alcohol and drugs.According to police, Raju initially sourced cocaine from a Manikonda dealer at 10,000 per gram. A few months ago, however, he shifted to suppliers in Goa and Bengaluru, including a Nigerian identified as Invest, alias Clifford, obtaining the drug for 7,000 per gram and selling it locally for up to 12,000 per gram.Raju built a distribution chain that relied on WhatsApp chats and online payments routed through friends' bank accounts. He used the ‘dead-drop' method to deliver contraband without making direct contact with buyers.The co-accused, Bhupathiraju Chiranjeevi Varma, 28, a private employee from KPHB, bought cocaine from Raju and referred additional customers, while his cousin, Rudraraju Hemanth Raju, 37, a Vijayawada-based businessman, had recently begun using the drug. All three tested positive for cocaine consumption, an EAGLE official said.Police also booked the driver of a private travels bus that carried consignments from Bengaluru, as well as a Rapido rider who delivered contraband to the accused.