Excise officials seize over 119 kg ganja in separate operations across Telangana

The Telangana Prohibition and Excise Department seized more than 119 kg of ganja in a series of operations across the State, arresting six persons and booking cases under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.

In the biggest seizure, the Bhadrachalam Excise team intercepted an SUV on Koonavaram road on Saturday afternoon and recovered 101 kg of dry marijuana packed in six bags. Four persons were arrested and five mobile phones, along with the vehicle, were seized.

During questioning, the accused allegedly told officials that the contraband had been procured from Maredupalli in Andhra Pradesh for ₹1,500 per kg and was being transported to Bengaluru, where it was to be sold for ₹8,000 per kg. The seized contraband was valued at around ₹56 lakh.

In another operation, the Hyderabad Enforcement Team seized 5.75 kg of marijuana during a search of the Konark Express at Secunderabad railway station. Officials found the contraband inside unattended bags, but could not trace the persons transporting it. A case was registered against unknown persons and the seized marijuana was handed over to the Secunderabad Excise Station.

Separately, the Cyberabad Excise Enforcement Team seized 620 grams of the contraband from Rajesh Kumar Pradhan, who was allegedly selling it in the Balanagar area. The accused and the seized substance were handed over to the Balanagar Excise Station for further investigation.

In another case, excise officials arrested two persons on Malakpet Road after receiving information that marijuana was being transported from Maharashtra to Hyderabad. The team seized 12 kg of marijuana from the duo, identified as Madhukar Vasant Shravan (68) and Prem Raj (18), both from Maharashtra. They were later handed over to the Malakpet Excise Station along with the seized contraband.

The excise department said cases under the NDPS Act had been registered in all the incidents and further investigation was underway.