Four persons were arrested by the Excise officials on charge of possessing ganja and hashish oil worth ₹4 crore near Attingal on Thursday.
The State Excise Enforcement Squad (SEES) led by Circle Inspector T. Anikumar nabbed Riyas and Jaseem of Nagaroor, Faizal of Pavaratty in Thrissur, and Niyaz of Konni in Pathanamthitta. The gang was purportedly caught during an attempt to smuggle 100 kg of ganja and 3 kg of hashish oil in a pickup. A car that apparently escorted the pickup was also seized by the law enforcers at Velamkolli along the Alamcode-Nagaroor road.
In Coimbatore
The four-member gang is suspected to have bought the contraband from Andhra Pradesh.
After transporting the consignment to Coimbatore, they allegedly shifted the drugs to the pickup and remodelled the vehicle so that it would resemble those transporting live chicken. The contraband was intended to be sold among youth in Thiruvananthapuram and elsewhere, official sources said.
Efforts spearheaded by the SEES had foiled several attempts to smuggle narcotic substances through the district of late.
Excise officials had confiscated 500 kg of ganja near Attingal a month ago. The team busted a bid to sneak in 203 kg of the contraband on September 22.
Around 10 people were also arrested during the operations.
