The Anakapalli district police along with the Elite Anti-Narcotics Group for Law Enforcement (EAGLE) force on Friday arrested a person and apprehended a juvenile for allegedly being involved in transporting 140 kg ganja, worth ₹70 lakh at Kasimkota. The police teams found that the contraband, packed in 28 packets, was allegedly being transported from Odisha to Rajasthan.

Addressing a press conference on Friday, Superintendent of Police Tuhin Sinha said that the operation was carried out on Thursday, following specific and credible information received by Kasimkota Circle Inspector A. Swami Naidu. Acting on the tip-off, the EAGLE team and Kasimkota police conducted intensive vehicle checks on NH-16. When the container lorry approached the checking point, its occupants allegedly attempted to flee after noticing the police. The personnel chased and apprehended two – Saddam Hussain and a 17-year-old boy.

The S.P said that during a detailed inspection of the vehicle, the police discovered a specially concealed compartment behind the driver’s seat. The compartment had allegedly been designed to transport the contraband without any suspicion.

Preliminary investigation revealed that the accused had allegedly received the ganja from unidentified persons in Odisha on the instructions of a suspected key organiser from Rajasthan, Mr. Sinha said. The accused allegedly concealed the contraband inside the lorry’s cabin, before proceeding towards Rajasthan. The police are investigating the alleged inter-State trafficking network to identify other suspects, suppliers and those involved in arranging the transportation of the contraband.

Mr. Sinha warned that those involved in the cultivation, storage, transportation, purchase or sale of ganja would face stringent legal action.