17 kg of suspected hybrid ganja seized in Ernakulam; one held

The anti-narcotic wing of the Ernakulam Rural police on Wednesday seized around 17 kg of suspected hybrid ganja from a 39-year-old man in one of the largest seizures of the drug variety in the State.

Ayush, a native of Arukad in Vypeen, was arrested with the contraband estimated to be worth several crores of rupees, from Marampilly near Perumbavoor. He was apprehended during a check conducted by the District Anti-Narcotics Special Action Force squad of the Ernakulam Rural police.

The police initially recovered 1.25 kg of suspected hybrid ganja from a scooter he was riding. The ganja was found concealed inside a plastic cover in the vehicle. Further questioning led to searches in the flat where he stayed, and the police recovered another 16 kg of the contraband from there.

Police sources said Ayush had been under the radar of the anti-narcotic wing for a while. He had reportedly moved into the flat a week ago. They added that the market value of the narcotic substance would be ascertained based on factors including its quality. The drug bust comes a day ahead of Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala’s scheduled visit to Ernakulam to attend programmes related to ‘Operation Toofan: The Narco Hunt’, a State-wide anti-narcotic drive.