THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In one of the biggest ganja hauls reported here in recent times, the excise enforcement squad on Friday seized 405 kg of ganja from Mukkampalamoodu in rural parts of the state capital and arrested two youths in this connection. Harikrishnan, 27, of Thirumala and Ashkar, 21, of Vallakkadavu are the arrested duo.
Excise Circle Inspector T Anikumar, who headed the operation, said the seized contraband was worth Rs two crore in the market. He said that the arrested persons were regular carriers of the contraband from neighbouring states and they were employed by a gang comprising Sreekariyam natives now settled in Bengaluru. The contraband was procured from Rajahmundry in Andhra Pradesh and was brought to the state via Chennai.
“The contraband was smuggled via Chennai-Tirunelveli Highway. It was meant to be taken to a safe house at Edavacode near Sreekariyam. From there, the retail dealers were supposed to purchase the drug in smaller quantities,” Anikumar added.
According to sources, Ashkar was a notorious peddler in the city and he also doubled as an interstate drug carrier. They also disclosed that the operation was launched on the basis of information received during the probe into the seizure of 200kg of ganja from Balaramapuram here five months ago.