NEW DELHI: In a span of 24 hours, the Crime Branch intercepted two huge consignments containing around 1,945kg of marijuana brought to Delhi from areas on the Andhra Pradesh-Odisha border. This is the biggest recovery of marijuana by Delhi Police in recent times.
According to DCP (Crime Branch) Bhisham Singh, the first consignment contained around 445kg of marijuana, while the second had around 1,500kg. The recovered cannabis is worth around Rs 10 crore in international market.
“In the first operation, we have arrested two smugglers Mosim from Okhla and Sabir Ali from Meerut. A truck, in which 12 plastic bags having the marijuana were hidden behind bananas, was seized,” Singh said.
The arrests were made by a team comprising ACP Pankaj Singh and others on a tip-off that a Odisha-based gang will come to Dera village to supply the cannabis. A trap was laid on the intervening night of April 18 and 19 and their vehicle was intercepted.
The arrested duo are UP-based carriers who were paid for every trip that they made to the capital for a successful delivery.
“In the second operation, a smuggler named Aas Mohammad was arrested and 1,500kg marijuana in 43 sacks was seized. The Marijuana was procured from Odisha and Andhra Pradesh border forest area. The contraband was to be supplied to Delhi NCR,” the DCP added
This arrest was also made by ACP Singh and others who laid a trap in the intervening night of Monday and Tuesday from Mathura Road.
Sources said these large consignments were sent to the capital in the wake of a massive spurt in demand by city peddlers amid the ongoing lockdown, which has also led to a surge in the price of good quality weed. A large chunk of the seized consignment is the Seelavathi variant, which is in high demand due to a mellow high it gives.
Police suspect more consignments may be pumped into the capital and are scanning any possible movements among the cartel members. The identity of the receivers is also being ascertained and a crackdown on the peddlers associated with the cartel is expected in the coming days, police said.