Visakhapatnam: The seizure of 95 kg hashish oil from the Alagam area of G. Madugula mandal in Vizag Agency on Monday is raising doubts that locals of Vizag Agency could be engaging in the extraction of other products, such as charas and solid hashish, from the cannabis plant as well.
Hashish oil is a thick liquid that is prepared by dissolving marijuana in a mixture of solvents inclu-ding acetone and alcohol.
S.V.V.N. Babji Rao, the assistant commissioner of excise, said hashish oil was extracted from the cannabis plant, also known as ganja.
The oil has a high concentration of Tetra Hydro Cannabinol (THC), which is a psychoactive chemical that disrupts nerve cells in the brain, and it can cause serious health hazards.
“We have detected the hashish production unit, and nabbed three persons. We have also seized hashish oil worth at least '3 crore. We have started an investigation to confirm whether locals have been producing other products from ganja as well,” Mr Babji Rao said.
A source in the excise department said smuggling of hashish oil was much easier than dry ganja, as the semi-solid form could easily pass off as an oil or lubricant.
The cost of hashish oil in metro cities of India is extremely high due to the high demand.
Excise and police officials are speculating that the technology for hashish production has been impo-rted from Kerala and Ta-mil Nadu states, and there could be chances of more production in those states in the coming days.
“Though we have managed to seize the ganja, we have not yet been able to breach the cartel network to reach the main kingpins involved in the illegal trade. We are chalking out plans to develop a coordinated inter-state approach to arrest the kingpins,” the assistant commissioner said.
