Bengaluru, Jun 16 (PTI) Twenty-three people, including two foreign nationals, were arrested for allegedly possessing and selling banned narcotic substances and prohibited tobacco products worth Rs 8 crore, police said on Tuesday.
The operations were carried out by anti-narcotics Squad of the Central Crime Branch in coordination with personnel from different police stations across the city on various dates, they said.
According to police, during the operation, 23 people — two foreign nationals, six persons from other states and 15 locals were arrested for allegedly possessing and selling banned narcotic substances and prohibited tobacco products.
Based on credible information received on different dates regarding the sale of prohibited narcotic substances within the limits of the concerned police stations, cases were registered under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, a senior police officer said.
Police teams conducted raids at the identified locations and detained the accused, he said.
“During interrogation, the accused allegedly admitted that they purchased narcotic substances from unidentified persons, including suppliers from outside the state and abroad, at lower prices and sold them at higher rates to the public and college students to earn illegal profits,” the officer said.
Among the items seized from the accused include: 5.3 kg of Hydro Ganja, 143 grams of Cocaine, 10.9 kg of ganja, 237 grams of MDMA, 107 grams of methamphetamine, 180 boxes of E-cigarettes, 452 boxes of foreign cigarettes, 1,206 hookah cigarettes, 490 foreign cigarettes 120 hookah sets, 100 e-cigarette refills and six hookah sets, the Bengaluru Police said in a statement.
The total value of the seized contraband is estimated at Rs 4 crore, while its market value is estimated at Rs 8 crore, police said.
All 23 accused were produced before the competent court on different dates, and the court has remanded them to judicial custody, they said.
Efforts are continuing to identify and trace the suppliers who allegedly provided the contraband to the accused, police said, adding that the investigation is in progress. PTI AMP ROH
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