VIJAYAWADA: Anti-Narcotic Cell (ANC) sleuths of the NTR district arrested 11 persons under various police station limits for their alleged involvement in ganja peddling and smuggling activities on Monday.
ANC police seized 23.5 kg of ganja and registered cases against them under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985. During the investigation, the police discovered that the accused had been procuring ganja from Visakhapatnam Agency areas and Odisha in small quantities and selling it to college students and others.
According to the NTR district ANC head, R Srihari Babu, the accused were notorious ganja peddlers who had been operating their illegal activities in Vijayawada and NTR district for over two years. Of the 11 accused, eight had previous cases related to theft and ganja, and some had even served jail terms. He said the 11 accused, including three minors, were arrested by the ANC and local police under Kothapet and Patamata police station limits based on reliable data. “The accused were running a network in the city. Two individuals from Odisha were also arrested for transporting ganja to their receivers in Vijayawada city,” said Srihari.
He requested the public to report any information related to ganja to the ANC helpline number 9121162475 or email antinarcoticcell@vza.appolice.gov.in. “We are receiving positive responses from the public regarding secret locations. Special teams will be formed to neutralise such gangs,” he added. So far, the ANC has arrested 120 persons and filed 35 cases.