In a significant drug bust on Friday, the district police arrested nine men and seized 23 kg of ganja, which was allegedly purchased from Andhra Pradesh and stored near an abandoned building close to the M Pudur TB hospital in Cuddalore. The police also seized two motorcycles and seven mobile phones from the suspects.
The operation, initiated under the direction of Cuddalore Superintendent of Police S Jeyakumar, was led by Cuddalore Sub-Divisional DSP M S Ruban Kumar and personnel from the Thirupathiripuliyur police station. The team had been targeting drug smuggling networks operating in the area, and their efforts led to the arrest of the nine men.
The suspects have been identified as R Shivaji alias Shivaji Ganesan (19) of Thiruvandipuram, V Chandru alias Chandrasekar (29) from Mogappair West in Chennai (currently residing in Trichy), V Anand (22) of Panruti, L Surya alias Vijay (21) of Kondur, S Eli alias Vignesh (22), S Thol alias Suryapratap (21), K Ari alias Aravind (23) of Thiruvandipuram, N Gundupala alias Akash (19) of Arisiperiankuppam, and M Karthi alias Karthikeyan (20) of Sivanagar in Cuddalore.
During questioning, Shivaji admitted that the group had been involved in the illegal ganja trade. They had pooled money together and purchased the contraband from Andhra Pradesh. Shivaji and Chandrasekar had traveled to Narasayyapet in Anakapalli district, Andhra Pradesh, a week ago, where they bought the 23 kg of ganja from E Pradeep, a resident of Keerapatti village in Usilampatti taluk, Madurai district. The contraband had been stored for distribution when the police apprehended them.
Cuddalore SP Jeyakumar praised the Thirupathiripuliyur police team for their swift action in dismantling the drug network.
