Anantapur police busted an organised ganja supply network and arrested 14 persons allegedly involved in the trade. Nearly 7 kg of ganja was seized during a series of coordinated raids carried out across different parts of Anantapur city on Wednesday.
Addressing a press conference here, Superintendent of Police (SP) P. Jagadeesh said the gang had built a local distribution network that mainly targeted youth and regular users through small retail packets. The SP said that Shikari Suresh of NTR Colony had been identified as the mastermind behind the network.
Police displaying the ganja seized as part of their anti-drug crackdown drive in Anantapur on Wednesday. | Photo Credit: R.V.S. PRASAD
He said that Suresh was sourcing ganja from unidentified suppliers near Guntakal Junction railway station at around ₹10,000 per kilogram. The contraband was allegedly brought to Anantapur with the help of four repeat offenders and later divided into smaller packets for sale through local peddlers working in various neighbourhoods.
Mr. Jagadeesh said the case came to light after police recently introduced special ganja testing kits as part of a wider anti-drug drive. Random checks reportedly helped identify a few users, whose movements and contacts were then monitored by investigators. The surveillance eventually led police to the larger network operating in the city.
Deputy SP (Anantapur Urban) V. Srinivasa Rao led the raids from multiple police stations. The police said they would continue counselling and awareness programmes for identified users, while warning that the crackdown on drug peddling would continue across the district.