

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Excise has seized 100 kilograms of marijuana and 3 kilograms of hashish oil from a gang of four who were arrested from Nagaroor, near Attingal on Thursday. The contraband seized is worth `4 crore in the international market. It is the third major seizure by the Excise in the last four weeks.The arrested have been identified as Riyaz and Jaseem from Nagaroor, Faisal from Pavaratti and Niyaz from Konni.
The gang came in a pick-up vehicle with the drugs bought from Andhra Pradesh till Coimbatore.
They later filled the vehicle with trays used to carry chicken and reached Attingal via national highway, said excise enforcement inspector, T Anilkumar. The enforcement squad waylaid the vehicle at Nagaroor in Thiruvananthapuram.
According to the Excise officer, the large quantities of drugs have been brought by youth for supplies in the city. There would be more arrests as there are more persons involved in the smuggling, he said. The same squad seized a container truck carrying 500 kilograms of ganja in Attingal in the first week of September and 203 kilograms of ganja smuggled in two cars at Balaramapuram on September 28.