The Ernakulam Rural Police, in a major drug bust, seized 140 kg of ganja from two places in the district in the wee hours of Wednesday morning. According to the police, the drugs were seized from wholesale distributors who were trying to smuggle the contraband substance. Three Idukki residents have been arrested by police. The incident happened at 3 am on Wednesday when Idukki natives were travelling in two cars. The trio, who were already under the scanner of police officials, were caught from Angamaly in Ernakulam district.

Authorities said that 105 kg of ganja was confiscated from 50 packs that were stored in the two cars. The accused have been identified as Thodupuzha native, 34-year-old Ansal, 37-year-old Perumbadachira native Nisar and 22-year-old Vellathooval resident, Chandu.

“The trio are wholesale drug dealers. In the past too, they had smuggled ganja. After the arrest, as per information we got from them, 17 packets of ganja weighing 35 kg was seized from a rented house in Kalloorkad near Muvattupuzha in Ernakulam. A detailed probe is underway to see if more people are involved in the smuggling,” Ernakulam Rural Police chief K Karthick said in a statement.

Recently, the police had caught three people including students with 45 stamps of Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) from Perumbavoor. The present confiscation was carried out by a special team of District Anti-Narcotic Special Action Force (DANSAF) squad and officials of the Narcotic cell.

Earlier in September, the Excise Department had seized 500 kg of ganja from a container truck in Thiruvananthapuram. The consignments were found sealed in secret cabins in the truck which had come from Mysuru. Officials had said that the truck reached Thiruvananthapuram, after distributing drugs across various districts on the way. Later that same month, 203 kg of marijuana was seized from the same district from two cars. The arrested men had included a murder accused.

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