Bengaluru: 2 Iranians arrested in drug peddling case; NCB seizes marijuana worth 1cr

The Central Crime Branch (CCB) arrested four people, including two Iranian nationals, for allegedly trafficking drugs in Bengaluru, said police. According to Sandeep Patil, Joint Commissioner of Police, Crime, Bengaluru City Police, the arrested Iranians overstayed their student visas. 

"CCB arrest 4 drug peddlers including 2 Iranians, overstaying on student visa procured hybrid cannabis seeds through the darknet and grown at home using Ultraviolet lights. Case booked under Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (NDPS) and Foreigners Act," said Sandeep Patil.

The cops seized marijuana worth Rs 1 crore, 130 marijuana plants, LSD blotting papers, and a car. The two Iranian nationals were unlawfully residing in a flat near Bidadi.

Mephedrone, opium worth over Rs 20 lakh seized in two cases in Surat

An official informed last week that police arrested four people in Gujarat's Surat in two separate raids and seized mephedrone and opium worth more than Rs 20 lakh from them, which were transported into the city for sale from Maharashtra and Rajasthan.  Acting on a tip, city crime branch authorities stopped a car at a checkpoint on the Surat-Kadodara route and detained three people, who were found to be in possession of 196.2 grammes of mephedrone, or MD drug, worth Rs 19,62,200 on the local market, he added.

The three accused are history-sheeters who have previously been arrested for crimes such as attempted murder and criminal intimidation, according to a police official, who added that further investigation was underway to determine who were to receive the drugs.

280 kg marijuana seized near Nagapattinam Port

On Monday, customs authorities seized approximately 280 kilogrammes of marijuana destined for Sri Lanka near the port of Nagapattinam.  A team of Customs officials on patrol saw a group of persons carrying bags into a boat at Nagapattinam port after receiving a tip. When they got close to the boat, the group fled, leaving the bags and motorcycles behind. Inside the boat, the squad discovered around 280 kilogrammes of ganja in ten bundles. According to preliminary investigations, the drug bundles were being placed into the boat to be carried to Sri Lanka.  According to officials, the boat belongs to the owner of a local YouTube channel.  Customs officials are on the lookout for 15 people who are suspected of being involved in the activities. According to officials, the exact value of the seized drug would not be known until it was examined by the Narcotics Intelligence Bureau.

(with inputs from ANI/PTI)

Image: Twitter/IPS_Patil/PTI