Over 120 kg of ganja was seized by the Thiruvananthapuram City police in the State capital during two separate operations conducted early Sunday.
A 59-year old from Tamil Nadu, identified as Muhammed M. of Madukkarai in Coimbatore, was caught by the District Anti-Narcotics Special Action Force (DANSAF) in Pettah with alleged possession of 110kg of ganja.
The accused, who claims to have smuggled the consignment in a vegetable-laden lorry from Andhra Pradesh via. Coimbatore and the Walayar inter-state border, is believed to have reached the city late Saturday. The consignment was found hidden beneath the Pettah bridge.
Terming the operation as a “tribute to Thiruvananthapuram city on the occasion of the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking (observed on June 26)”, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Law and Order, Traffic) Vaibhav Saxena, said the narcotics substances was brought in bulk quantity to be distributed among retailers in the city.
Based on information received from law enforcement agencies in Coimbatore, the accused who claims to be an auto-rickshaw driver is a notorious criminal which several cases registered against him. “There are reasons to suspect that he was tasked with a greater role than merely transporting the consignment to Thiruvananthapuram,” Dr. Saxena said.
Around the same time, the Poojappura police caught Kattachal native Sreeram, 23, with alleged possession of 11kg of ganja from his house. He purportedly smuggled the contraband from Bengaluru on train early in the day. His associate, Sreekanth, had been arrested by the Thiruvalam police, with around 3kg of ganja a week ago.
The Poonthura police had also confiscated 8.5kg during an operation held a day ago, official sources.
Since the launch of the lock down, the State capital has been witnessing a spurt in drug smuggling cases. Around 350kg of ganja have been seized by the police in various operations within three months. Around 40 grams of the synthetic drug MDMA had also been confiscated.
