HYDERABAD: In a span of just two hours, 14 individuals, trying to buy ganja, were apprehended by the Elite Action Group for Drug Law Enforcement (EAGLE) during a decoy operation at Gachibowli on Sunday. All of them tested positive for cannabis consumption after they were subjected to on-the-spot urine tests for drug use. They have been referred to certified drug de-addiction centres for treatment and rehabilitation.
According to police, intelligence revealed that the prime suspect would transport around 5 kg ganja at a time, packed into 100 sachets of 50 grams each. He would sell each packet for `3,000 and maintained a database of over 100 regular consumers, including their mobile numbers. Communication was primarily done via WhatsApp using coded messages such as “Bhai, baccha aa gaya bhai” to signal arrival and availability of the drug.
Man, wife come with 4-yr-old to buy cannabis
Those detained include an online trader Naveen (31), student Ayush (22), racing engineering student Nikhil (29), architect Sindura (26), property manager Hasan (34), IT employee Kranti (28), dental technician Akhil (28), business relationship manager Shiva (32), freelancer at an ad agency Sandesh (34), real estate sales executive Sai Raj (31), travel agency owner Akhil (26), driver Swamy (27), and IT employees Thushar (24) and another individual aged 24.
In a press release, EAGLE stated that a couple had arrived at the location with their four-year-old son to purchase ganja. “We let off the woman and the child. The husband tested positive. Only God knows whether the woman is also consuming drugs,” the note remarked. In another instance, a different couple was caught attempting to purchase ganja. The woman initially tried to bluff her way out, but both tested positive and were found to be addicted.
Efforts are ongoing to trace and apprehend the main peddler, who is believed to be based in Maharashtra and managed to evade capture during the operation. Technical teams are currently analyzing WhatsApp messages and other digital evidence recovered from the consumers’ mobile phones to map the supply network.
Officials said the database of more than 100 consumers is being scrutinized to bust the wider distribution and demand system. “It’s better for the remaining 86 consumers to opt for de-addiction, rather than be picked up by EAGLE,” officials warned. The EAGLE team added that the operation had successfully disrupted a critical local ganja distribution point in Gachibowli.