Daijiworld Media Network - Chennai
Chennai, Apr 10: In a major crackdown on narcotics smuggling, Tamil Nadu police seized 140 kilograms of ganja from a secluded spot in Anakaputhur, on the outskirts of Chennai, and arrested a key trafficker involved in an inter-state drug ring.
The accused, 20-year-old Appala Naidu from Andhra Pradesh, was taken into custody during a targeted raid by the Shankar Nagar Special Task Force. His associate, identified as Rahman (28), along with several other suspects, remains at large.
Police sources revealed that the massive consignment was sourced from Odisha, where Naidu and Rahman had personally travelled to the forest fringes to procure ganja directly from local cultivators. After being dried and packaged into five-gram sachets, the contraband was discreetly moved using a unique method to avoid detection.
Instead of standard vehicle transport, the smugglers employed local women to carry the ganja on their heads through dense forest trails and cashew plantations. The packets were then hidden at secret locations along the Odisha-Andhra Pradesh border, particularly near national highways.
Once stockpiled, the drugs were moved to Tamil Nadu and Kerala in cars, aided by a two-tier escort system. Two motorbike riders were deployed—one in front and one behind the vehicle carrying the ganja—maintaining a strategic buffer of one kilometer to alert of any police checks. After crossing into Tamil Nadu, Naidu took over as the lead escort on a bike while Rahman drove the consignment to Anakaputhur.
The operation was exposed when Naidu stayed behind at the drop site to coordinate with local dealers. Based on a tip-off, a special task force launched a swift encirclement of the area, capturing Naidu and recovering the entire haul.
Naidu's mobile phone has been seized and is now under forensic examination to map out the full extent of his distribution network, believed to span across suburban Chennai.
The police have intensified their manhunt for Rahman and other co-conspirators. Officials described the smuggling ring as one of the most sophisticated drug trafficking operations in recent times, involving a well-planned logistics chain from Odisha’s remote hills to Tamil Nadu’s urban fringes.
Investigations are ongoing.