Mumbai: Ganja worth Rs 85 lakhs seized by NCB, two held

The seized ganja. Pic/ NCB Mumbai

In another crackdown on the interstate drug trafficking network the Mumbai unit of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) seized 54 kg ganja worth Rs. 85 lakhs on June 30, the NCB said.

In a similar operation, the NCB Mumbai unit had seized a huge quantity of ganja, estimated to be around Rs. 3.5 crore on June 27. The seizure was made from Mumbai-Solapur highway after apprehending a vehicle with two people in it.

According to the NCB, "The seized contraband was sourced from Ganjam district, Odisha which was supposed to be brought to Mumbai. The ganja was supposed to be distributed to the peddlers in Mumbai, Surat and other adjoining areas. The central agency was actively working on an input wherein an inter-state syndicate was conspiring for supply of high quality ganja into the city.

Also Read: Mumbai: NCB seizes 286 kg of high grade ganja, two held

The NCB said, accordingly, The input that was received was further analysed pertaining to the schedule and other details about the transportation of the drugs. Later, an operational team was set out at the Solapur-Pune highway which was informed about the route for transportation of the drugs. In due time after constant tracking, physical identification of the vehicle with two occupants was ascertained. Immediately, the field team set a tactical fail-safe layout and little afterwards, the vehicle was stopped for verification. During the search of the vehicle, 27 boxes were found concealed in false cavities made beneath the rear seat of the vehicle. Upon closer examination, the boxes were found to contain a total of 54 kgs Ganja. Both the accused were apprehended and the car was also seized.

Preliminary investigations have revealed that both accused are from Odisha. The persons were identified to be seasoned traffickers and had supplied contraband in the region many times in the recent past. The duo also disclosed that they had further plans for supply of drugs to other areas of Maharashtra and states like Gujarat, Goa, etc.

"After this seizure, NCB-Mumbai has successfully enforced its commitment to supply reduction by busting the inter-state drug trafficking syndicate which had its tentacles spread across many states and effectively cut the supply link to local peddlers. Further investigation is in progress," an official said.