Ahmedabad, June 15
The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) seized 724 kg of ganja worth Rs 1.45 crore smuggled from Odisha in a truck after reaching its destination Surat in Gujarat and arrested six people, including the receiver, officials said on Wednesday.
“After surveillance, an NCB team stopped the truck as well as the receiver of the consignment when the narcotic delivery was going on (in Surat). Six persons, including the receiver, have been arrested along with two vehicles and Rs 1 lakh in cash,” the Ahmedabad regional unit of the NCB said.
The federal anti-drugs agency said the seizure would affect the narcotics supply chain and a key inter-state network involved in smuggling ganja in Gujarat.
“We don’t give valuations officially, but the value of seized ganja on the road could be Rs 20,000 per kg and the current seizure value could be around Rs 1.45 crore,” an NCB official said.
This is the third major seizure of a banned substance in Gujarat by the NCB so far in June.
Earlier, the NCB had busted a factory in South Gujarat and seized 68 kg of narcotics. In another operation, he seized 523 kg of ganja in Ahmedabad.
So far in June, the NCB has arrested 13 people and seized 1,315.7 kg of narcotics.
“NCB is probing the connection of consignments of these illegal drugs,” the release said.
The NCB said the seizure of such quantity of ganja leads to prosecution under the stringent provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, which provides for a minimum rigorous imprisonment of 10 years and fine up to Rs 1 lakh.