BENGALURU: In three different cases, the police seized 130 kg of marijuana worth `39 lakh in the city and arrested six people. This points to how the thriving illegal marijuana trade in Bengaluru city has pushed it to be a peddling hub for the drug. And it is getting a boost owing to its cosmopolitan culture and presence of a large foreign student component.
The police have seized 982 kg of marijuana worth around ` 3 crore in the last three years. This is apart from last week's seizure of 130 kg of marijuana. According to the police, the seizure of marijuana in Bengaluru has increased in the last three years with increasing number of foreign nationals being involved in it. In 2015, police seized 168 kg; in 2016 it was 261 kg; and last year, the number doubled to 553 kg. Also, 816 people have been arrested in these three years — including 25 foreigners — for selling marijuana.
Sources, however, say that despite so many cases and arrest of drug peddlers, marijuana continues to be one of the most thriving illegal businesses in the city. According to police sources, the targeted customers are mainly the youth with students of reputed colleges and software engineers being the prime targets. However, other professionals too buy from the drug peddlers.
They are sold in small packets ranging from `100 to `5,000 and the quality is the key factor for the price-fixing. According to investigations in many cases, in Karnataka, MM Hills, Kollegal, Kodagu, Chikkamagaluru, Shivamogga, Nelamangala, Anekal, Malur, Belagavi, and Bidar are the prime places where marijuana is grown on agricultural lands before being sent to Bengaluru. Besides, it is also smuggled in from Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Odisha, and Kerala.
They prefer to smuggle it using public transport, like bus or train, which the suppliers feel safe plying in. In order to prevent marijuana's smell from raising suspicion during transportation, the drug traders use dry fish boxes to camouflage it. The police investigating the cases told The New Indian Express that there is a huge market and a lot of peddlers are grabbing the opportunity to make a quick buck. The business mostly takes place on social media or through internet platforms. According to a source, many drug traders offer marijuana on Facebook, too. In areas of Bengaluru east, it is even sold in paan shops, garages and on narrow lanes. Peddlers ensure they are meeting the right buyers.