RAMANATHAPURAM: In a major crackdown on narcotics smuggling, the Ramanathapuram district police on Wednesday seized 564 kg of ganja worth several crores of rupees, the largest single seizure recorded this year in the state, and arrested 10 persons, during a joint operation by the district special branch and the Kenikkarai police.
Addressing the media at the Armed Reserve ground, SP G Chandeesh said the suspects were identified as Vignesh Kumar, Hariharan, Kumaresan, Yogeswaran, Mukesh Kannan, Prakash, Karan Raj, Ranjith, Balakrishnan, and Sanjeevi.
According to sources, Vignesh Kumar was the key coordinator of the operation and had cases registered against him previously in Ramanathapuram, Sivaganga, and Sivaganga town. Two other suspects were also found to have prior criminal records.
According to officials, the ganja was smuggled from Andhra Pradesh, concealed beneath consignments of turmeric and chillies in lorries, and later stored at a house in Therkuvani village. From there, the contraband was to be transported in phases by boat to Sri Lanka, depending on coastal surveillance patterns, sea conditions, and wind direction.
“This is purely a smuggling operation intended for Sri Lanka. The suspects would stock the ganja locally, monitor Coast Guard, marine police, and coastal security patrols, and move the consignment during windows of reduced surveillance,” the SP said.
The seizure followed sustained surveillance of known smugglers, including monitoring of call data records, movements, and local contacts. Acting on specific intelligence about the movement of a suspect in the Kenikkarai limits, police teams conducted an early morning operation and intercepted the consignment.
The SP said the 564-kg seizure was the highest single ganja haul in Tamil Nadu this year, surpassing previous seizures that peaked around 300 kg. With this, Ramanathapuram district has so far seized 965 kg of ganja in 2025, registered 156 cases, arrested 245 persons, and invoked the Goondas Act against five offenders,” he said, adding that a detailed financial investigation would be carried out to trace assets and identify the main kingpins through backward and forward linkages.
Noting that Ramanathapuram’s 272-km coastline remained vulnerable to smuggling attempts, the SP said offenders often exploited gaps in coastal surveillance. “However, monitoring will continue relentlessly, and this seizure itself is a warning to smugglers,” he said.
On other enforcement efforts, police said they had seized 3,500 kg of banned tobacco products this year, arrested 350 persons, seized 62 grams of methamphetamine, and 25 kg of concentrated ganja derivatives, marking record enforcement over the past three years.
On road safety, the SP said the district had achieved a 33% reduction in fatal road accidents, with deaths dropping from about 400 last year to 320 this year.
“Action will continue against drug smuggling and traffic violations alike. Public cooperation, especially from fishermen, is crucial in preventing illegal activities,” the SP said.