india

Updated: Dec 02, 2018 09:32 IST

The arrest of a member of an inter-state drug peddling racket in Hasanganj area on Saturday disclosed a startling trend: that there was a huge spurt in the consumption of marijuana among high profile people in the state capital. Police have also seized around 35.5 kg of marijuana meant for supply in reputed educational institutes, clubs, hotels and lounges here. The carriers are using super luxury cars and SUVs to supply weed (marijuana) to different places.

The team of crime branch and Hasanganj police arrested key member of the racket Ajit Yadav near Nadwa College ground on Bandha Road. However, Yadav’s accomplice who was driving a super luxury car managed to escape. The police said three bags containing 35.5 kg were recovered from Yadav.

“Yadav revealed that there was huge demand of marijuana among youngsters visiting clubs, hotels and lounges, as well as students of reputed educational institutes. It is also in demand among high profile people,” said a senior inspector of crime branch Vimlesh Singh, who led the operation.

He said Yadav disclosed youngsters preferred ‘sukha nasha’ (marijuana) and inhaled it by filling it in cigarettes as they believed that it was more potent.

Singh said the city drug peddlers bought marijuana from a person in Bihar at Rs 6,000 per kg and sold it at price

Rs 12,000 per kg after packing it in small pouches. He said the drug peddlers booked trucks for different goods from Bihar to places in east UP like Allahabad and Varanasi. In between the other goods, they placed 3-4 jute bags of weed without letting the drivers know. Later, these bags were collected by the carriers and taken to Lucknow and other places through buses or trains.

The inspector said the drug peddlers used super luxury cars and SUVs to supply marijuana to different destinations in the city. He said the local police would not even think of checking such vehicles during routine checks.. Even during Saturday’s raid, a city-based drug peddler had come to collect the consignment from Yadav in a sedan worth over 50 lakh and managed to escape, he added.

Singh said the crime branch was working on the nexus of drug peddlers in the city and trying to trace the main handler.