Daijiworld Media Network - Visakhapatnam

Visakhapatnam, Dec 25: In a major crackdown on inter-state drug trafficking, the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has dismantled a hashish oil trafficking network and arrested five accused, including a woman, during an operation conducted in Visakhapatnam, officials said.

Officers of the federal anti-narcotics agency, with assistance from the Railway Protection Force (RPF), carried out a targeted operation at Duvvada Railway Station on Tuesday night, leading to the interception of the accused and seizure of 4 kg of hashish oil.

“Following interrogation, all five persons were arrested under relevant provisions of the NDPS Act,” a senior NCB officer said.

The arrested include two persons from Thrissur district in Kerala, identified as the intended receivers who had arrived in Paderu to coordinate with the supplier. The supplier, a resident of Srikakulam district in Andhra Pradesh, was also apprehended. The remaining two accused, including a woman, were engaged as carriers and tasked with transporting the contraband to Kerala.

Investigators said the receivers had provided money to the carriers to transport the contraband, while avoiding possession themselves to evade detection. All five accused had travelled from Paderu to Duvvada by bus.

Preliminary investigations revealed that the supplier and both receivers were previously involved in NDPS-related cases. Further probe is under way to trace and arrest other members linked to the trafficking network.

“This preventive action underscores the NCB’s firm commitment to dismantling organised drug trafficking syndicates operating across state boundaries,” the officer added.