PANAJI
In a major crackdown on an interstate narcotics network with links to Goa, the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) Mumbai seized 702 kg of ganja concealed inside a truck carrying grocery items and arrested two persons from Gondia in Maharashtra.
Details shared by NCB on Friday stated that the agency intercepted a truck bearing a Maharashtra registration number and apprehended two accused, identified as Prakash MD and Padamlal NM.
During the search, officials recovered 702 kg of ganja packed in 100 packets and allegedly hidden among legitimate cargo such as detergent, toothpaste and hair dye to avoid suspicion.
“Sustained interrogation revealed that the contraband had been sourced from Odisha, considered one of the major hubs for illicit ganja supply, and was being transported to multiple drug syndicates operating in Maharashtra. The consignment was intended for distribution in cities including Nagpur, Gondia, Pune and Mumbai, before being supplied to local peddlers and end consumers in Maharashtra and Goa,” it said.
The agency stated that the accused had allegedly been involved in regularly transporting bulk quantities of ganja from Odisha to Maharashtra, and various syndicates had collaborated to move the drugs in a single large consignment instead of smaller individual shipments.
“Further investigation is underway to trace the Goa link and identify the local network connected to the supply chain,” the NCB said.
The bureau also pointed out that this was the second major ganja seizure linked to the Odisha-Maharashtra route in recent months. Earlier on April 11, the NCB had seized 210 kg of ganja concealed among metal sheets and arrested four persons in a similar operation.
