KALABURAGI: In a major crackdown on cannabis since the sandalwood drug trade controversy broke out,
The raids were carried out on September 8 on the information provided by the accused drug traffickers Siddunatha Lavate (22), Chandrakant (34) and Naganath (39). The first foray took place in a Kamalapura hobli village near National Highway 50, while the second was carried out at a Laccha Nayaka Tanda (village) sheep farm in Kalagi taluk. The police seized 150 kg and 1200 kg respectively.
Siddunatha Lavate was arrested on September 6 at Madanayakana Halli in Bengaluru, who then led the police to Chandrakant and Naganath, who revealed incriminating details about the farm. The latter duo were arrested at the Madagud tollbooth in Kalaburagi on the day of the raid. The raids were carried out at the direction of West Bengaluru Additional Police Commissioner Soumendu Mukherjee.
1,352 kg of marijuana at the Seshadripuram police station. @CPBlr salutes the police team for the recovery. https://t.co/yExk8jM07w
– Mirror of Bangalore (@BangaloreMirror) 1599729854000
In Laccha Nayakana Tanda, the police did not find anything in the extensive sheep farm during the search. However, later, when Chandrakant was roasted, he led them to a secret underground location where a large number of packages filled with ganja were hidden. Following an investigation, it was discovered that the marijuana was grown in Odisha and supplied by the gangsters to the state of Telangana. From Telangana, Chandrakant and Naganath, under the pretext of transporting vegetables, were smuggling large quantities of grass into Eicher trucks that were hidden under the vegetables. Marrihuana was brought across the Telangana-Karnataka border to the sheep farm where it was hidden underground, according to the press release issued by the police department.
Kalaburagi farmers and political leaders say the seizure is not surprising news to them. Maruti Manpade, a farmer leader from Kalaburagi, said that this is only the tip of the iceberg and that now the police have only managed to seize marijuana obtained from Odisha.
“But actually marijuana is grown in tons in the Afzalpur and Chincholi taluks. This has been going on for several decades and twice we have helped the police to catch the growers.”
Maruti Manpade said that in the batches people grow this crop and it is well protected by politicians in this region, before by Congress and now by the BJP. The police have to do more leg work to reach the political bosses of these farmers and street vendors.
Chittapur MLA and former Minister Priyank M Kharge speaking to ToI said that Kalaburagi is a transit point for Maharashtra, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh and even for a port in Vizag. Therefore, the smuggling of ganja and other drugs passes through this district. He points out that in the span of a year, the ruling leaders have granted permission for many recreational clubs that are established by people from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. These clubs are known to nurture Durg mobsters and the state has to crack down on it to open Pandora’s box.
ONLY AGAINST GANGA REPRESENTATION, NO OTHER DRUGS IN NK
In Raichur, Ballari, Belagavi, Haveri, Kalaburagi, Bidar, and other northern Karnataka districts, the police are only cracking down on marijuana and appear to have turned a blind eye to more expensive synthetic drugs like LSD and MDMA. Raichur Police Department sources say that synthetic drugs are supplied to university students especially for medicine and engineering in the district. But blowing this up would bring up the names of big-name universities run by political leaders. A source in Belagavi revealed that LSD is supplied to Belagavi from Goa and some medical students travel to Goa to collect it, even while some are selling in the district. “It’s not as easy to crack down as marijuana, as people from reputable families are also involved in the business,” the source said.
With Moueshwar Sonnad
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