Ganja, hashish oil worth Rs 2 crore seized in ASR dist

Visakhapatnam: Alluri Sitharama Raju (ASR) district police seized around 340 kg of dry cannabis and 7 kg of hashish oil, together valued at Rs 2 crore, from separate places in the district over the last two days.In the first incident, police seized 308 kg of dry cannabis valued at Rs 1.5 crore near Kotagunnalu village under Annavaram police station limits in Chintapalle subdivision on Tuesday. Two drug peddlers were arrested during the operation, while four others managed to escape. The contraband was being transported from Chitrakonda, under Malkangiri district in neighbouring Odisha, into Andhra Pradesh. The consignment was intended for distribution in parts of ASR district and later planned to be transported to some cities.Chintapalle sub-division ASP Navajyothi Mishra said based on credible information about ganja transportation on bikes, a special team was deployed in Kotagunnalu locality of the district. Police spotted six people transporting the contraband, of which four managed to escape after noticing the police teams, he added.Around 308 kg of dry cannabis, two motorcycles used to transport the ganja, along with two mobile phones belonging to the two arrested persons were seized. A case was registered under relevant sections of the NDPS Act, and a special team has been formed to trace and arrest the four absconding ganja smugglers. Further investigation is underway to identify the network involved in the inter-state smuggling of ganja, the ASP added.In another incident, ASR district police seized around 7 kg of hashish oil and nabbed three persons while they were transporting the hashish oil on a bike near Sileru under GK Veedhi mandal. Hashish oil, or hash oil, is extracted from cannabis plant and is also a narcotic drug. The arrested were identified as Balaraju and Veerayya from Andhra Pradesh, and Bikunu from Odisha. The accused were transporting the narcotic product from Chitrakonda in Odisha to Sileru in Andhra Pradesh.Similarly, around 30 kg of dry cannabis was seized and three persons arrested while they were transporting the weed in a car near Ananthagiri in the district. Investigation is on to nab more accused in connection with the three cases.