Visakhapatnam: Ganja being smuggled in ambulance seized, 2 held

Visakhapatnam: The official of Prohibition and Excise Department seized about 190 kgs of dry ganja and arrested two persons when they were transporting the contraband in an ambulance near Marripalem under Narsipatnam mandal in Vizag district on Saturday. The arrested were identified as M. Venkatraju, driver of the ambulance and G. Adinarayana, smuggler, both the accused persons were residents of Lammasingi area under Chintapalle mandal in Vizag Agency.

It was the second such case in Vizag region, earlier the excise police of Paderu seized 360 kgs of dry ganja in an ambulance belonging to Primary Health Centre, Pedabayalu in August 2014. Excise Inspector of Narsipatnam, B.V.G. Raju said that hemp was procured from remote areas under Chintapalle and was being transported in the ambulance, belonging to PHC, Lammasingi to Yerravaram area under Nathavaram mandal in the district. Mr Raju said that the ambulance was sponsored by the Araku MP Kothapalli Geetha under the MPLADS.

The smuggler with the support of the ambulance driver neatly packed the contraband in the ambulance presuming that the ambulance will not be checked and easily evade the enforcement officials. Acting on tip-off, the excise officials intercepted the ambulance near Marripalem check-post and arrested the duo and seized the ambulance and the contraband. The smuggler suppose to hand over the green drug to a person near Yerravaram and driver of the ambulance told newsmen that he was offered Rs 35,000 for the transport of the ganja from Lammasingi to Yerravaram. The officials registered a case under various Sections of NDPS Act investigation is on.