The 280-kg ganja consignment neatly packed in one and two kilograms packets.

• 280-kg consignment originated in ODisHa
• Final destination was Keralam
• Caught while passing through Mysuru

City Police Commissioner Seema Latkar, DCPs Dr. Harsha Priyamvada and K.S. Sundar Raj and CCB Police team with the seized contraband.

The goods vehicle used for smuggling ganja. Picture in the middle shows how the dried ganja packets were concealed behind the coconut saplings while transporting them from Odisha to Keralam via Mysuru.  Pic. in extreme right: The car which escorted the ganja-carrying vehicle.

In one of the biggest narcotics seizures in recent times, the City Crime Branch (CCB) Police have intercepted a major consignment of ganja (marijuana) on Bannur Road in Mysuru city, recovering 280 kilograms of the contraband valued at around Rs. 1.40 crore.

Acting on specific intelligence inputs, CCB officers launched a swift operation in the early hours of today and unearthed the illegal transport of narcotics being moved into the city. Four persons, Mohammad Zubair (40), Mudassir Ahmed, Abubakar Siddiq and Syed Mazhar, all aged between 30 and 40, have been arrested in connection with the case.

According to CCB sources, the Police received an anonymous tip-off at around 3.30 am that a large quantity of ganja was being transported from Malavalli to Mysuru in a truck, escorted by a car.

Following the alert, teams set up a checkpoint on Bannur Road near Nadanahalli Gate under Alanahalli Police Station limits and placed barricades near Hasiru Goodu Nursery. Acting on the specific input about a truck, all goods vehicles entering the city were intercepted till 4 am and checked. At least eight trucks were thoroughly searched before the Police stopped a ninth vehicle.

Escorted by a car

The vehicle, an Eicher truck (KA-51 AA-3352), which was being escorted by a car (KA-01-MG-1491), was initially found carrying coconut saplings. While some saplings were openly loaded and others packed in white gunny bags, a detailed search led CCB team to a concealed consignment of ganja hidden inside the bags.

Preliminary investigations indicate the involvement of an inter-State drug trafficking network. Officials suspect the consignment originated in Odisha and was being transported to Keralam via Karnataka, with Mysuru used as a transit route.

Police sources said the network involved multiple dealers and sub-dealers, with plans to distribute the contraband in both Mysuru and Kerala. Among those arrested, Mohammad Zubair is said to be a habitual offender with prior cases related to ganja trafficking, while the others are reportedly new to the network.

City Police Commissioner Seema Latkar said the accused are being interrogated and efforts are underway to trace the wider supply chain.

“The investigation is ongoing, and we are working to identify the larger network behind this operation,” she said. CCB has registered a case and intensified efforts to dismantle the trafficking racket.

The operation was led by CCB Assistant Commissioner of Police Mohammad Sharif Rawther, along with Inspector Shabbir Hussain, Sub-Inspectors Lepaksha, Anil and Revannasiddappa and staff members including Chethan, Adam, Santhosh, Kiran, Sameer, Yeshwanth, Ajaram, Rajasaab, Satish, Siddaraju and Suresh Babu.