16 kg ganja seized in Pre-Onam operation in Thiruvananthapuram

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The city police seized around 16kg of ganja from a supplier during annual pre-onam anti-drug operation. The suspect was identified as Aandi Swami, 45 of Keeripatti, Usilampatti, Madurai. He used to supply weed to peddlers in the state. As per the police, the close proximity of Usilampatti with Theni close to Idukki makes Kerala a preferred destination. He was nabbed from Peroorkada area by shadow police.

The police also extracted details of several peddlers in capital from the confession of suspects. Surveillance in the city has been intensified amidst report of massive stockpile of weed that has been sent to capital ahead of Onam season that will commence during August last week. Around 70 kilogram of ganja has been seized in city limits since January 2017. As per officials, the contraband is more often finding its way to city through state transport buses.

“Earlier, state transport buses were spared from checking. Now we search them and are convinced that most of the weed finds its way through KSRTC, TNSTC buses and trains. Most of the carriers are techies and students studying in Bengaluru and Chennai,” an excise official said. More excise control rooms will be operated across the district to control hooch as well as ganja inflow during Onam.       Sea route also are being used for smuggling weed as searches has been intensified at checkposts.