Hydroponic Weed Worth ₹72 Crore Seized In MP's Bhopal

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has arrested five people involved in smuggling hydroponic weed into India during a pan-India operation codenamed Operation ‘WeedOut’, officials said on Friday.

The action was taken on August 20, following surveillance and coordinated tracking of a drug syndicate that sourced hydroponic weed from Thailand and distributed it via Bengaluru.

On August 19, two passengers aboard the Rajdhani Express from Bengaluru were intercepted by DRI officers at Bhopal Junction. Acting on further leads, two more passengers heading to Delhi on another Rajdhani train from Bengaluru were arrested with a consignment of the same drug.

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A total of 72.024 kg of hydroponic weed, estimated to be worth around Rs 72 crore, was recovered. Moreover, Rs 1.02 crore in illegal proceeds was seized under provisions of the NDPS Act, 1985.

Investigations led DRI teams to New Delhi, where the associate mastermind of the network was located and apprehended. Proceeds of drug trafficking were recovered from his possession as well.

Officials said the syndicate operated through social media platforms, targeting college dropouts, part-time workers and unemployed youth to act as carriers and handlers.