In a major breakthrough, Tamil Nadu Police have seized 140 kilograms of ganja in a crackdown on an interstate drug trafficking ring. The drugs were found at a secluded location in Anakaputhur, on the outskirts of Chennai. Appala Naidu, a 20-year-old resident of Andhra Pradesh, was arrested during a targeted raid by the Shankar Nagar Special Task Force. However, his associate, Rahman (28), and several other suspects remain on the run.
According to police sources, the drugs were sourced from Odisha, where Naidu and Rahman had traveled to remote forest areas to procure the ganja directly from local cultivators. After drying and packaging it into small sachets, the contraband was smuggled in a unique manner: local women carried the ganja on their heads through dense forests and plantations, avoiding traditional transport methods. The drugs were hidden in secret locations along the Odisha-Andhra Pradesh border, near national highways.
Once the drugs reached Tamil Nadu, the smugglers employed a two-tier escort system to evade detection. Naidu and Rahman coordinated the transport, using motorbike escorts to stay ahead of any police checkpoints. The operation was foiled when Naidu stayed behind at the drop site in Anakaputhur to liaise with local dealers. Based on a tip-off, the police launched a swift raid, arresting Naidu and recovering the full consignment.
Naidu’s mobile phone has been seized and is being analyzed for further leads into his extensive distribution network, which is believed to span the suburbs of Chennai. Authorities are now intensifying their search for Rahman and other accomplices involved in this sophisticated smuggling operation.
