Telangana: Drugs worth Rs 14 crore seized, two arrested in operation by police

Rachakonda (Telangana) [India], August 12 (ANI): The Telangana Police on Monday busted an interstate drug racket, arresting two men involved in the transportation of hash oil at Pedda Amberpet in Telangana, the Rachakonda Police Commissionerate informed.

In a coordinated operation, the Special Operations Team (SOT) from LB Nagar, along with the Hayath Nagar police, successfully apprehended the two interstate drug peddlers.

The accused have been identified as 30-year-old Vanchurbha Konda Babu and 20-year-old Vanchurbha Balakrishna.

The police seized 13.5 kilograms of hashish oil worth approximately Rs14 crores, Rs2,000 in cash, two mobile phones, packaging materials weighing about 1 kilogram, and other incriminating items from their possession.

“The accused, Vanchurbha Konda Babu and Vanchurbha Balakrishna, are cousins and natives of Andhra Pradesh. They earn their livelihood through agricultural work. However, they became involved in this illicit drug trade to make easy money. The accused were procuring hashish oil from Andhra Pradesh and Odisha, transporting it, and selling it in the Bengaluru market, using Hyderabad as a transit route,” the police stated.

According to the police, during routine visits to a nearby cattle market in Annavaram, Alluri Seetharama Raju District, Vanchurbha Konda Babu befriended an individual who introduced him to the illicit drug trade, promising significant profits. Konda Babu, along with his cousin Balakrishna, who had previously been arrested by Vizag Police in a case related to the NDPS Act, agreed to participate in the illegal trade.

The duo procured hash oil at a low cost and sold it to a receiver in Bengaluru for more than 10 times the purchase price, making significant profits, the police informed.

On August 10, Konda Babu and Balakrishna procured the hash oil at Chaduru Mamidi Kondalu, located 15 kilometers from their village, and traveled to the outskirts of Hyderabad after receiving an order for 14 kilograms of hash oil from a Bengaluru-based buyer.

On the evening of August 11, the LB Nagar Zone team, along with Hayath Nagar Police, arrested the two while they were waiting for the buyer at Taaza Foods Hotel in Pedda Amberpet village.

The man who placed the order is currently absconding. Efforts are underway to apprehend him.

In recent days, the Rachakonda police have arrested several drug peddlers, including a father, son, and siblings.

The police noted that the accused often involve their family members and close relatives in the illicit drug trade to make easy money.

Notably, approximately 35 to 40 kilograms of ganja are used to produce 1 kilogram of hashish oil, meaning the total 13.5 kilograms of hashish oil seized required approximately 560 kilograms of ganja.