BENGALURU: The Amruthahalli police have arrested 10 drug peddlers, including students and software engineers, who were part of a syndicate that sourced drugs from Thailand through mules and received consignments at airports after evading customs officials.
The accused also procured LSD strips through the dark web under the name “Team Kalki”. The police seized 3 kg of hydro ganja, 50 grams of MDMA, 500 grams of charas, 10 kg of ganja, and 500 LSD strips, all worth around Rs 4 crore.
The accused have been identified as Kushal Gowda (23), an aeronautical engineer who has a previous drug case in Tumakuru; Shashank (22), an LLB student; and Sagar (29), a native of Ramanagara, and a bouncer by profession. All three are residents of Bengaluru. The other accused are Wilson (48), Ashir Ali (36), Riyaz (35), and KP Shiab (30), all car drivers; Sajad (34), a cook; Abdul Nasir (28), who works at a medical shop; and Abhinav (21), a software engineer. All seven are natives of Kerala and were staying in different parts of the city.
The police said that based on a tip-off about drug peddling near the Jakkur railway track on January 19, four accused were arrested, including two from other states. From their possession, 1 kg of hydro ganja, 50 grams of MDMA, 500 grams of charas, and 8 kg of ganja were seized, and a case was registered.
During interrogation, the accused allegedly confessed that they were procuring hydro ganja and MDMA from Thailand and Dubai through mules. The mules, who were paid Rs 2 lakh along with travel expenses, brought the drugs to Bengaluru after evading customs officials at the airport. The receivers would then collect the drugs from the mules and distribute them to peddlers across the city.
The accused allegedly divided the city into areas such as HSR Layout, Koramangala, Electronics City, Begur, Bommanahalli, and Bannerghatta, targeting students and IT employees. The police added that the accused had also been involved in scuffles over territorial disputes related to drug sales, though these incidents did not come to light.
To avoid detection, the accused frequently changed their drug procurement patterns by using different mules, airports, and airlines. The arrested revealed the names of five more peddlers, who were arrested on January 20 near Kaggalipura, leading to the seizure of 2 kg of ganja near the GKVK ground.
The next day, another accused was arrested near the Satellite Bus Stand on Mysuru Road, which led to the seizure of 500 LSD strips.
DCP (North East) GK Mithun Kumar said that it is suspected the accused were operating as a syndicate and that more accused may be involved in the gang. He added that the police are probing the loopholes that allowed the mules to evade airport scanners.
Two held with ganja worth Rs 60 lakh
The Thalaghattapura police arrested two men for allegedly peddling 78.4 kg of ganja worth Rs 60 lakh. Police said that based on a tip-off about drug peddling near Banashankari 6th Phase, the accused, Dhanush B (27), a native of Mandya, was arrested and 2.4 kg of ganja was seized. He revealed the involvement of his accomplice, Raghavendra R (30), a resident of Jnanabharathi, leading to the seizure of 76 kg of ganja from him. They were procuring drugs from Odisha.
Hydroponic ganja seized by Customs at KIA
Customs officers deployed at Terminal 2 (T2) of Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) intercepted 6.38 kg of hydroponic ganja on January 26. The contraband was valued to be worth around Rs 2.23 crore.The hydroponic ganja was attempted to be smuggled in by two passengers flying in from Bangkok. Both of the passengers were arrested under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act of 1985.