City police set on fire ganja worth Rs 9.2 cr

Visakhapatnam: Cannabis seized from various police station limits across Visakhapatnam was set on fire at Kapuluppada by the city police here on Monday.

The quantity of the ganja burnt was worth Rs 9.2 crore. The exercise was carried out under the supervision of Police Commissioner Ch Srikanth. DCP Garud Sumit Sunil, ACP Srinivasa Murthy, Special Enforcement Bureau Deputy Commissioner Babji Rao and other officials participated.

Speaking on the occasion, the Commissioner of Police made it clear that efforts were intensified to make Andhra Pradesh a drug-free State. He said 21,961-kg dry ganja, 23-litre hashish oil, 960-gm cookies were seized and 518 cases were registered at 22 police stations and seven SEB stations.

Further, the Police Commissioner said the surveillance on the network of suppliers was increased. "Visakhapatnam is the transit point to smuggle ganja from Odisha to other States, including Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra," he said. In 2023, the CP assured that the entire supply chain would be broken. Vulnerable persons were being lured with money and being dragged into ganja smuggling, Srikanth said.

SEB Deputy Commissioner Babji Rao said that the drug menace was controlled effectively in the city. Using technology, the police said that surveillance was intensified on ganja smugglers.