Officials of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) seized 530 kg of ganja from two suspects, both natives of Andhra Pradesh, on Sunday (March 8, 2026).
Acting on specific intelligence, a special team of the NCB’s Chennai Zonal Unit, in coordination with the Andhra Pradesh Police, busted the interstate narcotics trafficking network operating across Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu.
Investigators intercepted a mini van at Nallur Toll Plaza in Tamil Nadu. Kottagundu Jagadishwar Rao of Vizianagaram district and Pangi Gowardhan of Alluri Sitharamaraju district were found to be in possession of the ganja, which was sourced from the Andhra Prasesh-Odisha border.
Investigation further revealed that the traffickers had planned to transport the narcotic consignment to Karnataka. “Such cases highlight that drug traffickers often keep changing their modus operandi and routes in an attempt to evade detection by enforcement agencies. However, sustained intelligence gathering and vigilant operations by the NCB continue to effectively detect and dismantle such networks,” an officer said.
A probe is on to identify the remaining members of the syndicate, trace financial transactions, and dismantle the network involved in the drug trafficking racket. In 2026, NCB’s Chennai Zone busted three such cases, where a total of 1,490.5 kg of ganja was seized and seven suspects arrested.
Published – March 10, 2026 07:43 pm IST
