Kodad police on Sunday arrested five persons and recovered from them 1.5 litre of cannabis oil worth ₹7.5 lakh.
The three-member gang from Paderu and Hukumpet mandals of Visakhapatnam was smuggling the psychotropic drug to Kodad and Hyderabad via NH-65 (Hyderabad-Vijayawada).
District Superintendent of Police S. Rajendra Prasad, while presenting the seized material and the accused tribals – G. John Victor, V. Bheema Raju and V. Govindu, said that the trio, drivers by occupation, were planning to make a quick buck.
And to evade the increased police surveillance on ganja smuggling, they were carrying the liquid extract.
As per police estimate, the two packages of the oil, reportedly brought from unknown persons in the Andhra-Odisha border at ₹75,000, were worth ₹7.5 lakh in the target market at the rate of ₹5,000 per 10 ml.
On Sunday, based on suspicion, Kodad police carried out searches on Khammam crossroads and nabbed the three tribals, and two other locals – N. Anudeep and B. Suresh – who were buying the contraband from them.
A four-wheeler registered with Srikakulam RTO, ₹10,000 cash, weighing scale and other material were also seized. Kodad police have booked the five persons under various charges of the NDPS Act.
