800 kg marijuana worth ₹4 cr seized from Noida, 3 arrested

The drugs, hidden in a truck along with 2,000 litres of pesticide worth ₹60 lakh, were being transported from Odisha for supplying them in NCR cities

Noida: The Noida police’s crime response team (CRT) seized a truck carrying 800 kg of marijuana, estimated to be worth around ₹4 crore in the international market, from Sector 62 roundabout late Wednesday night, officers said on Thursday, adding that police have arrested three suspects.

The gang used to smuggle marijuana from Tanku, Andhra Pradesh, and Odisha to other states and the NCR cities including Noida, Ghaziabad, Gurugram and Faridabad, and would hide the narcotics under pesticides or other agricultural goods in trucks. (Sunil Ghosh/HT Photo)

The drugs, hidden in a truck along with 2,000 litres of pesticide worth ₹60 lakh, were being transported from Odisha for supplying them in NCR cities, police said.

Police identified the three suspects as gang leader Sudama Choudhary, and Praveen Paswan -- both residents of Bhojpur, Bihar, and Anish, a resident of Nuh, Haryana.

The truck was intercepted late Wednesday night at Sector 62 roundabout by a joint team of CRT, and Sector 58 police station, said deputy commissioner of police (Noida) Vidya Sagar Mishra.

“Acting on intelligence inputs, the truck was being tracked by police teams. The truck was following an escort vehicle, a Maruti Ciaz car with Bihar registration plates, so that the suspects could be warned of any police presence and checking. Police seized both the vehicles and arrested two suspects from the truck and one from the car,” said Mishra.

Officers said suspects Sudama and Praveen were in the truck while Anish was driving the car.

“Approximately eight quintals of marijuana worth ₹4 crore and pesticide worth ₹60 lakh have been recovered. An FIR has been lodged at the Sector 58 police station against the suspects under the provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act,” said the DCP.

Officers informed that the gang leader Chaudhary is a graduate and previously worked in a sand mine. “He was illegally transporting narcotics for the last two years, and had been caught multiple times. Just two months ago, he was released from prison in connection with a case filed at Noida’s Expressway Police Station”, said DCP Mishra.

Upon his release, Chaudhary went back to Bihar and recruited more people to restart his activities, including Anish and Praveen, who works as drivers.

“The gang would smuggle marijuana from Tanku, Andhra Pradesh and Odisha to other states and NCR cities including Noida, Ghaziabad, Gurugram and Faridabad. They would hide the narcotics under pesticides or other agricultural goods in trucks. An escort car would always drive ahead of them to warn them about police,” said the officer.