The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) confiscated 406 kg of ‘ganja’ in Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh. Four individuals were apprehended while transporting the contraband from Tezpur, Assam, to Deoria. The NCB, in collaboration with the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force, made the breakthrough by intercepting a pickup van in Deoria, where 202 kg of ganja was found hidden.
Further operations in Barhaj town of Deoria led to the discovery of an additional 204.8 kg of ganja and the arrest of two more suspects. The total seizure by the NCB and Uttar Pradesh STF amounted to 406.8 kg of ganja. The accused face charges under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985. Investigations are ongoing to identify other individuals involved in the trafficking network.
In a separate operation in Maharashtra, the NCB arrested two drug traffickers and seized 702 kg of ganja. The contraband, concealed in grocery cargo items, was sourced from Odisha and destined for drug syndicates in Maharashtra. Additionally, the NCB secured jail terms for five drug traffickers in a synthetic drug trafficking case in Mumbai.
The kingpin, Mohammed Arif Yaqoob Bhujwala, was sentenced to 15 years’ imprisonment and fined Rs 2 lakh. Other convicts received imprisonment ranging from one to five years. The NCB’s investigation led to the freezing of properties worth over Rs 1.5 crore belonging to one of the convicts.
