CHENNAI: In a major haul, the city police seized 550-kg ganja worth several lakhs, which was being smuggled from Visakhapatnam to Tiruchy in a tanker lorry. Based on a tip-off, a team led by Madhavaram Deputy Commissioner Balakrishanan and inspector Jawahar Peter intercepted the lorry at the checkpost in Padianallur near Red Hills in the wee hours of Tuesday.
“While three cabins were filled with coal tar, two empty cabins had ganja concealed in gunny bags,” said a police officer. The driver Sachin Narayanan (35) of Visakhapatnam and helper Sundar (50) of Shenoy Nagar were arrested.
The duo was remanded in judicial custody and further investigation is on to find out the source and the customer. City Police Commissioner Mahesh Kumar Aggarwal who inspected the seized contraband said about 1,500-kg ganja has been seized during the lockdown and 369 persons have been arrested. A total of 68 vehicles used for smuggling has also been seized.