HYDERABAD: Cyberabad police have busted a major drugs ring by arresting three peddlers and five consumers and seizing 620 grams of heroin paste, valued at approximately Rs 4.3 crore in the international market.
Giving details of the bust, Madhapur DCP Dr G Vineeth said that SOT Madhapur team and Raidurgam police arrested three peddlers hailing and five consumers, all from Rajasthan. All the five consumers tested positive for heroin consumption, he said.
The international price of heroin is around Rs 70,000 per gram.
Dr Vineeth identified the supplier as Savar Jhat from Jaitharan in Rajasthan who is absconding, and the peddlers as Mangalaram Choudary, Dinesh Chowdary and Ganesh Chowdary who are residing in Sainikpuri and ECIL in Hyderabad.
Their operation involved smuggling heroin paste from Rajasthan, concealed in a Mahindra XUV 500, and distributing it within their network in the city. The trio was apprehended while smuggling the drugs to a light fixture store in Gachibowli, owned by one of the detained consumers, Prakash Chowdary.
Following their arrest, the police detained five consumers — Nithin Gujar, Prakash Chowdary, Jaivatram Vasnaram Dewasi, Prakash Chaudary and Banaram Chaudary.
Heroin paste, a potent and less refined form of heroin, was sourced from Rajasthan, a region known for opium poppy cultivation. The police are investigating if the heroin was from some lands in Rajasthan that have official permission to grow poppy.
The police also seized two vehicles and eight mobile phones during the operation. Further investigations are on.