Zaheerabad: The Telangana Excise Department claimed to have achieved a breakthrough against the drug and liquor smuggling racket here. According to officials, a total of 58 persons have been arrested in connection with smuggling cases, while drugs and liquor worth lakhs of rupees were also seized.
In a recent crackdown, a joint team of the District Prohibition and Excise Task Force on April 5 seized 10.30 grams of cocaine worth Rs 10 lakh from a vehicle at the Telangana-Karnataka border checkpost, which falls under the Chiragpally Police Station area here in the Sangareddy district. This comes following vehicle checks at the local checkpost as per the Deputy Commissioner Harikishan.
The driver had allegedly concealed the contraband in his underwear and is part of an interstate drug trafficking gang.
Separately, banned drugs, including syrups and tablets valued at Rs 56 lakh, were seized from a vehicle travelling from Karnataka to Hyderabad at the Madgi RTA checkpoint.
The excise department officials said that they have seized 12 cars and two tourist buses involved in smuggling operations since November. Dr Naveen Chandra, District Excise Officer, Sangareddy, said it was part of a special campaign to curb drug and marijuana trafficking and that continuous inspections are being conducted at interstate borders.
“We will pay special attention to curbing drug and marijuana trafficking. Continuous inspections at interstate borders will be ordered. Vigilance Task Force inspections will be intensified. Action will also be taken against officers and staff who show negligence in controlling illegal activities,” he said.
Officials alleged that smugglers were using passenger buses to shift marijuana from Visakhapatnam and Khammam agency areas to destinations like Mumbai and Goa via Hyderabad and Zaheerabad. “They would disguise themselves as passengers or use private vehicles to transport the illicit goods,” they said.
For instance, four youths, who were disguised as passengers, were caught smuggling charas (hashish) on the Zaheerabad route, while four IT employees were caught red-handed carrying cocaine and synthetic drugs on their weekend trip on the Hyderabad-Goa route.
