Has an Interstate Drug Syndicate Been Dismantled? Delhi Police Seize 411 Kg of Ganja and Arrest Four

Synopsis
Key Takeaways
- Delhi Police seized 411 kg of ganja.
- Four suspects arrested, including the kingpin.
- Operation part of ‘Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyan’.
- Ganja sourced from Maoist-affected Odisha.
- Police are investigating further connections.
New Delhi, July 20 (NationPress) In a significant success under the ‘Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyan’, the Crime Branch (WR-I) of Delhi Police has successfully dismantled an interstate drug syndicate that was operating across Delhi, Haryana, and Odisha.
Following precise intelligence, authorities confiscated 411 kg of premium quality ganja, valued at around Rs 1.90 crore in the global market, and apprehended four suspects, including the mastermind and primary supplier. The operation, spearheaded by Inspector Sandeep Yadav with oversight from ACP Ajay Kumar and DCP Harsh Indora, commenced on July 6.
The Crime Branch team intercepted an Ashok Leyland truck and a Nexon car in the vicinity of Sector-19, Dwarka, while the suspects were in the process of transferring ganja from the truck to the vehicle. Three individuals -- Lokesh Bhardwaj (27), Ashish Khasa alias Ashu (20), and Moeen Khan (24) -- were arrested immediately.
During questioning, the team identified the main supplier, Srikant Prasad (33), who was subsequently captured in Odisha on July 10 following a thorough search operation.
Lokesh and Ashish, both hailing from Maheshwari village in Haryana’s Rewari district, resorted to the drug trade due to financial hardships. Moeen Khan, a truck driver from Nuh, Haryana, worked as a contractor for the syndicate, while Srikant, a habitual offender from Gopalganj, Bihar, operated from Odisha and distributed ganja throughout northern India.
He is recognized for having connections with imprisoned drug traffickers and had previously been detained in a 2016 Ganja case.
The confiscated shipment was sourced from the Maoist-influenced areas of Odisha, widely recognized as a center for illegal cannabis cultivation.
The police have filed an FIR under various sections of the NDPS Act and are currently probing both forward and backward connections to expose the entire network.
The Delhi Police affirmed their dedication to dismantling drug syndicates and taking stringent actions against individuals jeopardizing youth and public health.