The source of supply of marijuana to Telangana State, especially Hyderabad, has been snapped with ‘growers consortium’ passing a resolution not to sell to buyers here.
A series of successful attempts by Telangana police intercepting and confiscating the banned consignment in the recent past has forced the cultivators and smugglers in Visakhapatnam and other parts of the Andhra-Odisha Border (AOB) to review and stop the supply of ganja. This gag rule is suspected to have been passed as suppliers in Andhra Pradesh assume the orders emerging from Telangana State were part of a decoy operation intending to incriminate the supply sources and seize the material, is alleged.
It is observed that 90% of the stock consignments to Telangana were confiscated, which is alarming statics for the suppliers. Speaking to The Hindu, a senior police officer said that the existing supply source catering to consumer needs is of last year’s crop, which was harvested in January and February of this year. It is suspected this year too ganja is cultivated to an extent of over 10,000 acres, and the output is expected to hit the market only in January and February of 2022.
As the curbs have been tightened, the fresh harvest is unlikely to enter Hyderabad, asserted the police officer. “The scope for smuggling ganja into the city will almost be eliminated if the same vigil continues for at least six more months,” he said.
“They are scared to sell ganja even to their regular customers, suspecting it could be decoy operations or we might catch the consignment and follow the trail,” the officer said, citing the example of the recent exchange of fire between the smugglers and Nalgonda police in Andhra Pradesh.
Unusual patterns were observed in ganja sale in the city as the price of 100 grams has skyrocketed to anywhere between ₹ 800 and ₹1,000, as against the normal of ₹200 to ₹ 300. “Currently the whole market is running on previous year’s stock. It is not exhausted yet,” he said.
It’s common knowledge that the main conduit of the ganja trade is the driver of a vehicle. It is with drivers’ connivance that the prohibited ‘mall’ is entering the markers seamlessly. “Majority of the stock supplied in Hyderabad is pilfered while it is being smuggled to Maharashtra, and some States in north India,” the officer maintained, adding that most of it passes through ORR and does not enter the city.
Further, the officer said that local police along with Task Force officials are working on every possibility to snap the supply chain to Hyderabad city. Regular vehicle checking is also being conducted in the city and in the outskirts as well.