Inter-State Drug Syndicate Busted: Odisha-to-Gujarat Cannabis Smuggling Ring Intercepted on NH-48, Four Arrested in Valsad
Summarized by AI; it may make mistakes. Check important info
Summarized by AI; it may make mistakes. Check important info
Police in Bhilad intercepted a grey Maruti Ertiga near the canal on Platpada Road off National Highway 48, seizing 7.848 kg of illegal cannabis (ganja) valued at ₹3.92 lakh. Acting on precise intelligence, a team led by Police Inspector G. R. Gadhvi cornered the vehicle coming from Mumbai, unearthing a well-coordinated inter-state narcotics smuggling operation originating in Odisha. Four men, including the local buyer and three couriers, were taken into custody at the spot.
Precision Operation Intercepts Smuggling Route
The crackdown unfolded after Bhilad police received information that suspects were moving a commercial batch of contraband from Mumbai towards Vapi in a vehicle bearing registration number MH-05-GA-1698. Officers established a visual surveillance perimeter along the highway before surrounding the parked car near the Bhilad canal.
During an initial search of the vehicle, police retrieved bags packed with white pouches containing a greenish-brown plant material. Scientific Officer P. V. Patel from the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) was called to test the substance, confirming it to be cannabis. Alongside the 7.848 kg contraband stash, officers seized three smartphones valued at ₹10,000, bringing the total value of recovered assets to ₹4,02,400.
Odisha Connection and Modus Operandi Revealed
Interrogations revealed that the narcotics originated in Balangir, Odisha, supplied by a kingpin known simply as 'Suraj'. Three couriers traveled by train from Odisha to Kalyan near Mumbai with the consignment. Upon arrival in Kalyan, they hired the Ertiga car to transport the shipment directly to a local operative based in Lavachha, Vapi.
The four individuals taken into custody have been identified as:
- Vineet Vinayak Behera (20), resident of Balangir, Odisha
- Ganesheshwar Sahadev Mugri (30), resident of Balangir, Odisha
- Jyotiranjan Jethu Sahu (21), resident of Balangir, Odisha
- Vikash alias Vishwajit alias Visu Rajesh Dubey (24), resident of Lavachha, Vapi
NDPS Charges Filed as Probe Expands
Bhilad Police have registered a case under Sections 8(c), 20(b)(ii)(B), and 29 of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. Police Sub-Inspector J. S. Rabari has taken over the ongoing investigation. Authorities have launched a manhunt to track down the main supplier in Odisha and map out the broader distribution network across South Gujarat and Maharashtra.
