Bengaluru CCB arrests drug peddler selling hydro ganja to techies

Bengaluru: The Bengaluru police on Thursday announced the arrest of a 25-year-old drug peddler who sourced hydro ganja from Kerala and sold it to tech professionals in the city’s eastern and southeastern parts.

The Anti-Narcotics Wing of the Central Crime Branch (CCB) caught Jiju Prasad red-handed with hydro ganja on a deserted plot of land in Veer Sandra near Electronics City in southeastern Bengaluru.

Prasad, a resident of Bommanahalli, was employed as a civil engineer at a private company, the police said. Investigators seized 3.5 kg of hydro ganja worth Rs 4 crore and Rs 36 lakh in cash from him.

Preliminary investigations revealed that Prasad sourced the hydro ganja from a friend in Kerala, identified as Ashwin, who is currently absconding. A manhunt has been launched to track him down.

Prasad told the police that his primary customers were techies in and around Electronics City, and that he sold hydro ganja at Rs 12,000 per gram.

The arrest comes as the CCB intensifies its crackdown on hydro ganja sources and seeks to uncover the networks through which such drugs are being smuggled and distributed.

Investigations have shown that hydro ganja is often ordered via Darknet from foreign sellers and smuggled into the country through postal services. This case has revealed a new supply route, and the police are actively pursuing the absconding suspect to dismantle the network.

A well-placed CCB source said that Prasad had built a large customer base in Bengaluru and used WhatsApp to communicate with buyers. To avoid detection, he employed several strategies, including operating remotely, choosing meeting points, and packaging the contraband in airtight plastic covers.

Prasad’s arrest followed a tip-off from a police informant. A Bengaluru court has since remanded him to judicial custody.