Lockdown lays low the highs of marijuana

The strict lockdown has cast a dry spell for substance abusers in the city. The movement of marijuana and other contraband has halted. Excise officials say they have not booked a case in the last 20 days as the smugglers are getting caught at check-posts.

The latest bust was made in Kakinada wherein a gang from Hyderabad was caught with 240 kilos of ganja while the men were en route to their homes.

Officials from the state excise department said the movements of drugs in the city has come down drastically due to the lockdown.

“For the last 20 days, we did not come across any such cases of smuggling, peddling or selling of drugs in the city. The AP police have stopped two such consignments the last fortnight, wherein a gang of four, including a minor, was found carrying 240 kilos of marijuana on May 19 at Kakinada. Another 600 kilos was seized from two men at Krishnavaram toll plaza.

Both were headed for the city and were intercepted by the local police, said the official.

The Dhoolpet prohibition and excise station, under which areas including Mangalhat, Seetarambagh, Jiyaguda, Jummerat Bazaar, Upper Dhoolpet and Lower Dhoolpet come, is notorious for its standoff with ganja smugglers.

According to officials, the ganja is smuggled into the city from Odisha and Andhra Pradesh in large quantities. “It is then supplied to clients in various parts of the city from Dhoolpet by families and individuals,” an official said.

Apart from arresting the persons involved in the sale of the contraband, cops are also detaining and counseling those who are coming to the area to buy ganja.

“This drug is mostly procured by youngsters, mainly engineering and management students, IT company professionals, foreign students and also daily wagers in the city. The drug trade is profitable as there is a huge margin and it is attracting several people from Dhoolpet into the trade,” officials said.

They said a kilo of the contraband costs up to

`20,000 in Dhoolpet, whereas they buy it for

`4,000 to `5,000 per kilo in Araku.