Three people, including a Delhi-based man, were arrested by the police in Greater Noida on Thursday after cannabis was allegedly recovered from their possession, officials said.
One of the accused was held carrying 80 kg of cannabis smuggled from Odisha and is suspected to be part of a larger drug cartel, while the other two local peddlers were held with 2 kg of contraband, a senior officer said.
"The officials of the Beta 2 police station, led by SHO Vinod Kumar Mishra, caught Rajesh near the Honda Chowk and recovered 80 kg of cannabis from his car. The cannabis is estimated worth Rs 8 lakh. He had brought it using his network from Chhibramau in Kannauj district where it had landed from Odisha," Additional DCP (Greater Noida) Ashok Kumar said.
"Separately, two accused -- Chunnu Singh and Amit Kumar Singh -- were arrested from near Sector Gama-1 after 2.2 kg of cannabis was recovered from their possession. The duo was on a motorcycle when the police caught them," Kumar said.
Rajesh, who lives in Burari area of Delhi, is part of a bigger network of ganja smuggling, whose roots extend to the state of Odisha. The mastermind of the gang has been identified and efforts are underway to catch him, too, the police said.
Chunnu and Amit are local residents. They have been accused of stealing motorcycles and trafficking drugs locally after procuring it from Delhi at cheaper rates and then selling it to youth in PGs and colleges in Greater Noida, the police added.
Additional DCP Kumar said an FIR has been lodged against the accused under provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, among others, and further legal proceedings are underway.
-With PTI Input
