NCB busts inter-State hashish oil racket, five arrested

The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), Visakhapatnam Zonal Unit, busted an inter-State hashish oil trafficking network, arresting five persons and seizing 4 kg of the contraband during an operation on the night of December 23.

Acting on specific intelligence, NCB officers, with the help of the Railway Protection Force (RPF), intercepted the suspects at Duvvada Railway Station. The arrested include four men and a woman, all of whom have been booked under relevant provisions of the NDPS Act.

Officials said two of the accused were from Thrissur district in Kerala and were the intended recipients. They had arrived in Paderu to coordinate with the supplier, a resident of Srikakulam district, who was also apprehended. The remaining two accused, including a woman, were employed as carriers to transport the contraband to Kerala.

The carriers were paid by the receivers, who avoided carrying the substance themselves to escape detection. All five had travelled from Paderu to Duvvada by bus before being intercepted.

Preliminary inquiry revealed that the supplier and both receivers were previously involved in NDPS-related cases. Further investigation is underway to trace other links in the network.

NCB officials urged the public to share information on narcotics through MANAS, the National Narcotics Helpline (1933), assuring confidentiality.