The Anakapalli district police arrested five persons, including an alleged drug smuggler said to have links to Sri Lanka, and seized 213 kg of ganja, the police said.

The arrested were Shaikh Ajmal Khan, 30, of Ramanathapuram district in Tamil Nadu; Shaikh Abdul Rahman of Narsipatnam, brother of Ajmal Khan; T. Durga Prasad of Narsipatnam; K. Lova Prasad; and Ch. Ravi Kumar of Pedabayalu.

Addressing a press conference at the district police headquarters on Wednesday (June 17, 2026), Superintendent of Police Tuhin Sinha said a special team of the Parawada police, acting on credible information about ganja smuggling, conducted vehicle checks at Lankelapalem Junction on June 16 and intercepted a gang transporting 213 kg of ganja in a car. The police also seized about ₹95,000 in cash.

During the investigation, the police found that the prime accused, Shaikh Ajmal Khan, had a criminal background linked to narcotics trafficking in Sri Lanka, the SP said.

Mr. Sinha said Ajmal Khan had relatives in Narsipatnam and had been arrested by the Sri Lankan Narcotics Bureau in April 2022 in a case involving the seizure of 495 grams of methamphetamine and 8.5 kg of hashish oil. He was lodged in a prison in Colombo and later shifted to the high-security Boossa prison in Galle.

“While serving his sentence, Ajmal Khan established contacts with organised criminal networks involved in international narcotics trafficking,” the SP said.

After being released on bail in October 2025, Ajmal Khan was required to remain in Sri Lanka and attend court proceedings, and his passport was seized by the Sri Lankan authorities, the SP said. He instead entered India illegally through an unauthorised sea route and began smuggling narcotics with the help of his brother and other associates, he said.

Mr. Sinha said Abdul Rahman and his associates allegedly procured ganja from Odisha and transported it into Andhra Pradesh. The contraband was moved through Anakapalli and Narsipatnam before being routed to Vijayawada, with plans to transport it to Chennai and Ramanathapuram in Tamil Nadu, he said.

The police said they had identified both the forward and backward linkages of the network, and that efforts were on to arrest six more persons involved.

The SP said the district police would coordinate with central investigating agencies, the Sri Lankan Embassy, the Sri Lankan police and prison authorities to gather more information and pursue legal action.

Parawada Sub-Division DSP Satyanarayana, Parawada Police Station Inspector R. Mallikarjuna Rao and others were present.