VISAKHAPATNAM: Arguably in the first such case in the state, around 95 kg of ‘Hashish oil’ or ‘Hash Oil’ was caught by the officials of Prohibition and Excise department, with the arrest of three persons who were preparing it, at an interior village- Alagam of Luvvasingi Panchayat or G Madugula mandal in Visakhapatnam Agency on Monday.
The cops seized Hash oil, a thick liquid made from ganja. Apart from it, the officials recovered around 292 kg of ganja and a machinery with which the hash oil was being prepared from the spot.
The police said that one kg of hash oil would cost Rs 60,000 to Rs 70,000 in Vizag and if it goes to other states, a kg would worth over Rs 1 lakh.
The accused have been identified as V Chinna Rao (22), M Pedaraju (50) and K Arun Kumar (50), all hailing from Alagam village of G Madugula mandal. However, the main accused U Raja Rao is absconding.
Acting on a credible tip-off, a 30-member official team of Prohibition and Excise (Enforcement) led by Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) SVVN Babji, raided the interior village.
According to ACP Babji, the accused have been preparing hashish oil in the village since two months using the machinery, following the instructions of Raja Rao. The cops recovered a gas stove, 292 kg of dry ganja and a machine during the raids.
Giving details about the preparation of hashish oil, the ACP said dry ganja is compressed in the machine with some solvents (chemicals) and the oil is extracted in a particular temperature range. The officials, during the interrogation, came to know that accused had undergone training to extract hashish oil from ganja from a few persons from Kerala.
“With ganja abundantly available nearby, the accused were trained by a few persons from Kerala on the condition that they would sell the oil to the latter,” Babji added.
The Hashish oil is used in cigarettes. According to officials, a drop of oil is enough for one cigarette and the high it gives is more than that of ganja.
ACP Babji said that the accused used to sell a kg of hashish oil for Rs 60,000 to Rs 70,000.
The officials estimate that the market price of the seized hashish oil would be around Rs 60 lakh and even more. Along with the dry ganja, the total seize would be of around Rs 70 lakh.