AHMEDABAD: Gujarat Police intercepted 406 kg of ganja worth Rs 2.3 crore near Narol Circle in a pickup truck packed with onions.
Two drivers, Deepak Jat and Satej Pawer, from Maharashtra’s Dhule district were arrested, while the alleged kingpin, Shantaram Pawar, switched off his phone and went absconding.
The consignment, sourced from the MP–Maharashtra border, was meant for delivery in Ahmedabad for Rs 50,000. Police have seized the vehicle, narcotics, and valuables and launched a manhunt for the absconding suppliers.
Acting on precise intelligence received on 13 February 2026, the team zeroed in on a suspicious vehicle allegedly ferrying contraband from Maharashtra under the harmless guise of an onion shipment, and in one swift swoop, the entire smuggling script unravelled.
Beneath the onion sacks lay 406.350 kilograms of ganja, a stash valued at nearly Rs 2.3 crore, revealing how traffickers are now using everyday commodities as shields for high-value narcotics runs.
The interception not only exposed the consignment but also led to the immediate arrest of two young drivers, Deepak Jat and Satej Pawer, both residents of Dhule district in Maharashtra, who until then were complete unknowns to Ahmedabad’s crime radar.
During the preliminary interrogation, the trail began stretching beyond the pickup truck, as the duo disclosed that the ganja had been loaded at Karmala village located near the Madhya Pradesh–Maharashtra border, thereby pointing investigators toward a wider interstate network.
The accused further revealed that the consignment was allegedly handed over by Sagar Pawar and Shantaram Pawar, who had orchestrated the transport and fixed the Ahmedabad delivery, indicating a structured supply chain operating quietly across state borders.
Investigators said that Shantaram had personally arranged the logistics and even piloted the route for the drivers, ensuring the consignment’s smooth movement until the Crime Branch swooped in, shattering the operation at its final leg.
But as the arrests were made and the net began tightening, Shantaram allegedly switched off his phone and vanished, turning the case into a larger chase for the absconding mastermind who, police suspect, had delivered ganja consignments in Ahmedabad earlier as well.
The bust has exposed how inexperienced, low-profile drivers are being used as disposable links in a much bigger narcotics racket, as it exposed how both arrested young accused have no previous records in Ahmedabad’s criminal ecosystem, making them ideal carriers for a covert supply run.
The official press release stated, “Further investigation has been initiated to identify the intended recipients in Ahmedabad and other associates involved.”
With the arrested duo now in custody and remand proceedings underway, investigators are racing against time to decode the full delivery chain and trace the local receivers who were waiting to receive the narcotics in Ahmedabad.
Simultaneously, dedicated teams have launched a manhunt to track down Shantaram and Sagar Pawar, as the Crime Branch intensifies its crackdown on narcotics trafficking under the NDPS Act.