Hyderabad: Acting on a tip-off about selling Ganja chocolates, police conducted a raid in Balanagar area and arrested a man, whom they identified as Ananta Kumar Barak, a native of Odisha.
Barak was caught selling ganja (cannabis) laced chocolates in his shop in Balanagar area on the city outskirts under the limits of Cyberabad Police Commissionerate. Police also seized 140 ganja chocolates. He confessed to selling them to labourers and students.
This is the latest in a series of such seizures in Hyderabad in recent times. In most of the cases, police found that some migrant workers from Odisha were bringing ganja-laced chocolates to Hyderabad.
They initially distribute these chocolates for free among co-workers and students and once they become addicted to it, they start selling them.
Each 5 gram chocolate sold for Rs 20 contains 14 per cent ganja leaf extract.
During the intensified drive against drugs in the state, the police seized ganja-laced chocolates at various places in the city. Some were found selling these chocolates in shops near schools.
Last month, ganja chocolates weighing 41.5 kg were seized in three different cases. A worker from Balasore in Odisha was caught with 3.6 kg ganja chocolates in Kokapet, where he was working at a construction site. He was found selling these chocolates to co-workers.
In another case, ganja chocolates weighing 35.2 kg were seized in Ramanthapur. A worker, also from Balasore, was selling these chocolates from a paan shop.
In the third case, two men from Uttar Pradesh were arrested for selling ganja-laced chocolates in Hafeezpet. Police seized 2.7 kg of chocolates from them.
(With inputs from IANS)
Ms Kalinga