Nagpur: The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), Mumbai Zonal Unit, has busted an alleged interstate ganja trafficking network with the seizure of nearly 500 kg of cannabis concealed inside steel pipes being transported from Odisha to Nagpur.
Three persons identified as R.P. Goldar, A. Sarkar and S.A.S. Yusuf alias Rajabhai have been arrested in connection with the seizure. According to the NCB, the consignment was being brought from Sambalpur in Odisha and was allegedly destined for Indore.
Acting on specific intelligence that two alleged traffickers from West Bengal were transporting a large consignment of ganja towards Nagpur, an NCB team laid a trap in the city.
The operation was carried out in the early hours of Sunday near Mahadev Dhaba on the Outer Ring Road in the Hudkeshwar area, along the Nagpur-Bhandara route. The NCB intercepted a suspected commercial truck and conducted a search.
During the search, officers allegedly discovered around 500 kg of ganja concealed among steel pipes loaded in the truck. The unusual concealment was allegedly intended to evade detection by enforcement agencies while transporting the narcotics over a long route.
During the investigation, the NCB allegedly found that S.A.S. Yusuf alias Rajabhai, who was residing in Nagpur, was responsible for receiving consignments for the network. The agency said Yusuf had allegedly been involved in drug trafficking for the past four to five years and had previously faced cases under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.
Investigators suspect that the traffickers deliberately adopted longer and changing routes to avoid detection by law enforcement agencies.
The case has been registered at Hudkeshwar police station, although the investigation is being conducted by the NCB.
The agency has now intensified its probe to identify other members, financiers, transporters and local associates allegedly connected with the trafficking network. Raids are also being conducted at suspected locations as investigators attempt to trace the source of the consignment and its intended recipients.
The seizure of such a large quantity of ganja has highlighted the use of commercial transport and concealed compartments or materials by interstate drug networks to move narcotics across state borders.
