With increasing seizure of ganja by the police, the traders who depend on the source in the north Andhra districts are demanding ‘door delivery’ of the contraband contrary to the practice of traders themselves buying the stock in the tribal and Andhra-Odisha border areas.
Seven persons, who were on their way to deliver 200 kg of ganja, were arrested by the CTF and the Bhavanipuram Police on Wednesday night.
Three labourers − Gaduthuri Bhaskar Rao, Saang Venkataramana and Kantharu Bhaskar Rao − of tribal area of Pedabayalu Mandal in Visakhapatnam, who allegedly procure and sell the contraband locally, took up the task of door delivering it in Nizamabad in a car driven by Ithi Mahesh Babu.
“The gang had been selling ganja to people in other areas at higher prices and were booked earlier. In the fresh case, they teamed up with Arugula Ramu and Govind Yadav Prasad of Warangal district and decided to haul 200 kg of ganja to Parakala in Nizamabad,” said DCP G. Pala Raju while producing the gang before media here on Thursday.
Another person K. Srinivasa Rao, who helped the gang with a car when the latter’s car broke down near Chebrolu of West Godavari, had also been arrested.
The police said the ganja, which was worth a few hundreds of rupees if sold in the tribal area, would have been sold to the receiver for ₹5,000 per kg if delivered. Due to the increasing number of interceptions, traders in various cities are asking the suppliers to deliver the contraband at their doorstep, said the police. The receivers process the stock and sell it off at much higher price.
Police said the suppliers earned higher amounts this way. They even send a pilot vehicle which inspects the border checkposts and police posts and directs the vehicle carrying ganja.
A car and ganja were seized by the police. West ACP G. Rama Krishna and CTF ACP Prasad Rao were present.
