Greater Noida: Police seize 500 kgs of cannabis, woman among 7 held

Noida, Jan 23 (PTI) The police have arrested seven people, including a woman, and seized over 500 kilograms of cannabis worth around Rs 1.50 crore in Uttar Pradesh's Greater Noida, officials said on Monday.

The cannabis was brought here from Odisha on order of a local gang, which further sold the drug to daily wage workers and students in colleges and universities in NCR through its regional distribution network, a senior officer said.

"The Noida police has been carrying out a drive against narcotics and drug traffickers for sometime. Some local suppliers have also been arrested in the past in connection with the drive.

"There was an input with the police that a major consignment was on its way here. The order for it was placed by a local gang. The cannabis was coming from Odisha. The gang has a local network and distribution chain," Deputy Commissioner of Police (Greater Noida) Saad Miya Khan said.

"The Beta 2 police team and the SWAT team traced this truck and seized 502 kilograms of cannabis. Seven people, including a woman and her son, who is a key operative of the gang, have been arrested. They had placed the order for the cannabis," Khan told reporters.

Besides, the woman and her son, two of the arrestees are local distributors of cannabis while the other three are the ones who brought the contraband from Odisha in a truck, the IPS officer said.

On target customers of the cannabis, he said, "The gang catered to various groups – including workers, and students residing in NCR. The gang has two godowns – one in Bisrakh and one in Behlolpur – and raids were carried out there also. Cannabis in small quantities was found in both the godowns." He said the seizure is a major haul by the police and the teams involved in the job would be rewarded for their work.

Those held have been identified as Mohd Aazad, Faiyyaz, Rishi Ram, Saajan Shah, Yogesh Yadav, Rajkumar Shah, and the woman accused, according to the police.

Three vehicles – a canter truck, a pick up van, and a scooter – have been impounded, the police said.

An FIR has been lodged at the Beta 2 police station under provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, the police added. PTI KIS TDS TDS