North Andhra police expose rise of women ganja mules

Visakhapatnam: With police intensifying their crackdown on cannabis smuggling, inter-state ganja networks have begun deploying women couriers to transport small consignments from the Andhra–Odisha border to other parts of the country, hoping to evade detection.Women from poor financial backgrounds in Odisha, Bihar, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka, as well as relatives of petty smugglers, were drawn into the trade for easy money. Police in north Andhra districts — Visakhapatnam, Vizianagaram, Srikakulam, Parvathipuram Manyam, Anakapalle, and Alluri Sitharama Raja — arrested more than 30 women in the past three to four months for their involvement in cannabis transportation.Though women accounted for only 5–6% of total arrests in cannabis cases, police said their role could not be ignored. Couriers were reportedly paid ₹50,000–₹60,000 per month to move consignments to Hyderabad, Mumbai, Delhi, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Uttar Pradesh, often using trains.Smugglers preferred women couriers because female passengers were less likely to be checked. Without concrete intelligence, police found it difficult to identify women peddlers, who sometimes posed as tourists. Couriers procured cannabis and hash oil from border areas, mostly using public transport. They avoided sitting near baggage containing 3–5 kg consignments, abandoning bags if caught to escape detection.In some cases, women travelled by car, posing as tourists while transporting the contraband. Police said the trend reflects evolving tactics by smuggling networks, which are adapting to enforcement pressure by exploiting social perceptions and loopholes in passenger screening.Officials noted that the arrests highlight the need for stronger intelligence-based operations and community awareness to curb recruitment of vulnerable women into the illegal trade. They stressed that poverty and lack of livelihood opportunities were being exploited by traffickers, who lured women with promises of quick money.The crackdown continues across north Andhra, with police vowing to dismantle the networks and prevent further exploitation of women couriers. Authorities said surveillance has been stepped up at railway stations, bus stands, and border check-posts, while special teams are being deployed to track the movement of couriers.