Telangana drug racket: EAGLE seized over 900 kilograms of marijuana worth Rs 5 crore in Hyderabad
Telangana's newest anti narcotics wing, Elite Action Group for Drug Law Enforcement (EAGLE) seized over 400 packets of marijuana in a major crackdown.
New Delhi: In a major crackdown, Telangana's Elite Action Group for Drug Law Enforcement (EAGLE), seized over 935 kilograms of marijuana while conducting an interstate operation on the Vijayawada National Highway on Saturday. Three key suspects were arrested, along with an estimated consignment of around Rs 5 crore near the Batasingaram Fruit Market Junction.
The consignment was reportedly transported from Rajahmundry in Andhra Pradesh to Maharashtra by an SUV. After conducting a detailed inspection, the police seized 455 packets of marijuana from the escort vehicle.
Marijuana hidden under fruit trays
Acting on a specific tip, the Regional Narcotic Control Centre (RNCC) in Khammam and the Rachakonda police's narcotics wing were monitoring the area of Batasingaram fruit market junction on the Vijayawada National Highway on Saturday. At around 3:05 pm, the anti-narcotics team identified a truck and stopped it for further inspection. The vehicle was escorted by an SUV, NDTV reported.
Upon searching, the officials found 35 high-density polyethylene (HDPE) bags concealed under empty plastic food trays. The bags contained over 400 packets of marijuana, wrapped in brown tape, with an estimated weight of 935.611 kilograms.
The police arrested three people from the scene, who are identified as Pawar Kumar Badu, who was earlier arrested in a Narcotics Drugs And Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) case in 2020 from Maharashtra's Satara. Samadhan Kantilal Bhise, who was engaged as the driver, along with Vinayak Baba Saheb Pawar, who looked after the logistics and escort, according to The Hindu.
Major supplier on the run
A case has been registered against the three accused under Section 27A of the NDPS Act, which addresses financing and harbouring of offenders, for their involvement in the procurement, transportation, and distribution of narcotic substances.
Apart from the marijuana, the police have also confiscated the goods vehicle, SUV and several mobile phones with dual SIM cards used for coordinating with each other in the racket. Meanwhile, the officials are carrying out a thorough search for the absconded supplier, Sachin Chauhan.