Smuggling of ganja and other narcotic substances through the NTR and Krishna districts continues unabated even as the enforcement authorities concerned are making all efforts to crack down on the menace.
Large amounts of the contraband are often smuggled through Vijayawada, a nodal point of transportation between the Agency areas in the North Andhra districts where ganja is sourced, and cities in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Telangana.
Police have intercepted several major ganja hauls in the past. Recently, a team of police officials from Madurai of Tamil Nadu arrested a woman named S. Geetha, 26, at Yanamalakuduru for supplying ganja to four persons of Madurai on March 19. The woman had nearly 70 kg of ganja in her possession at the time of the arrest.
She was supplying ganja sourced from Rajahmundry to the peddlers while staying in the city. Penamaluru Circle Inspector K. Govinda Raju said that the woman hails from New Delhi and was earlier booked in a similar ganja smuggling case in Rajahmundry. Later, she relocated to Vijayawada six months ago and started supplying ganja to Madurai peddlers with whom she has links.
On March 6, the Krishnalanka police arrested Muthinti Sateesh, 25, a student from West Godavari district near Pandit Nehru Bus Station and seized 48.6 grams of methylenedioxymethamphetamine (commonly known as MDMA or Ecstasy) from his possession. The drug, which is in the form of crystal-shaped pills, was hidden in a box of payasam (a sweet) by Sateesh who was smuggling ganja and MDMA for the past six months.
Police found that Sateesh started by smuggling ganja to Bengaluru with the financial support of Abdul Mishal Ahmed (22), a native of Kerala studying in Kakinada. Later, Mishal engaged Sateesh to smuggle MDMA manufactured by him in Bengaluru to Kakinada and Hyderabad. Sateesh, who was supposed to supply the drugs to Mahendran, a native of Tamil Nadu residing in Peddapuram, Gokul Krishna of Kerala, Akhil of Hyderabad and Alex and Vijay of Kakinada, was arrested in the city. Later, three others were arrested.
Concerted operations taken up, says Krishna SP
Krishna district Superintendent of Police P. Joshua said that the focus on ganja smuggling has been increased and police have recently taken up concerted operations to crack down on the ganja supply chain big-time.
He said that so far, most of the activity against ganja smuggling comprised interception of the smugglers upon receiving information. “What we have taken up now is beyond just intercepting smugglers. We suspect most of the smugglers use bus stands, railway stations and regular parcel services and surveillance at such locations was heightened,” Mr. Joshua said.
We are also coordinating with the police of neighbouring districts and States to gather information about the accused in our district, he added.
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