Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) officials on Sunday (March 8, 2026) seized 530 kg of ganja from two suspects, both hailing from Andhra Pradesh.
Acting on concrete intelligence, a special team of the Chennai Zonal Unit in coordination with the Andhra Pradesh Police busted the inter-state network of narcotics smugglers operating in Odisha, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.
Investigators intercepted the mini van at Nallur toll plaza in Tamil Nadu. Kottagundu Jagadishwar Rao of Vizianagaram district and Pangi Gowardhan of Alluri Sitharamaraju district were found to be in possession of ganja which originated from the Andhra Pradesh-Odisha border.
Investigation further revealed that the traffickers were planning to transport the narcotic consignment to Karnataka. “Such cases highlight that drug smugglers often keep changing their modus operandi and routes to avoid detection by law enforcement agencies. However, constant intelligence gathering and vigilant operations by the NCB continue to effectively detect and dismantle such networks,” the officer said.
An investigation is underway to identify the remaining members of the syndicate, track financial transactions and dismantle the network involved in drug smuggling. In 2026, NCB Chennai Zone busted three such cases where a total of 1,490.5 kg of ganja was seized and seven suspects were arrested.
Published – 10 March 2026 19:43 IST
