In a major crackdown on international drug trafficking, the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has dismantled a sophisticated syndicate operating across Nepal, India, and Sri Lanka. The operation yielded a staggering 77.60 kilograms of hashish oil and 2 kilograms of charas, with an estimated street value of around 10 crore rupees. Authorities also confiscated two cars, a motorcycle, and a fishing boat used in the smuggling.
Five individuals, including a Sri Lankan refugee, have been arrested so far. This joint effort by NCB’s Chennai and Hyderabad zonal units aligns with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision for a drug-free India, as directed by the Union Home Minister.
The bust began on March 3 when Hyderabad NCB teams intercepted a Tata Safari Storme on the Bengaluru-Hyderabad highway near Ryakal toll plaza in Telangana. A thorough search revealed 2 kg of charas hidden in secret compartments. The car’s occupants—a Delhi resident and a man from Uttar Pradesh—were taken into custody.
Interrogations uncovered that the consignment originated from Kathmandu, Nepal, crossing into India via the Sonauli border. The 78 kg of hashish oil had already been smuggled to Thoothukudi in Tamil Nadu, earmarked for shipment to Sri Lanka by sea.
Acting swiftly, the Chennai team raided Thoothukudi, recovering the hashish oil from three suspects, one of whom was the Sri Lankan refugee. Plans to transfer the drugs via a fishing boat to international waters for handover to a Sri Lankan receiver were foiled with assistance from the Indian Coast Guard, leading to the vessel’s seizure.
Investigations reveal the Sri Lankan mastermind financed the operation and coordinated the entire route from Nepal to Sri Lanka. NCB continues probing financial trails and additional accomplices to dismantle the network completely.
This year, Chennai NCB has seized 973.35 kg of ganja, 87.64 kg of hashish oil, and 1.045 kg of amphetamine, arresting nine people with drugs worth 12.5 crore rupees. Successful prosecutions in three prior cases have resulted in convictions for eight accused, underscoring NCB’s relentless campaign against cross-border narcotics trade.