Panaji (Goa) [India], March 8 (HBTV): In a major breakthrough, the Crime Branch has arrested a youth in possession of 11.672 kg of hydroponic weed worth INR 11.67 crore, busting a drug racket, officials said.
It is reported to be the biggest-ever drug seizure in Goa's history. The accused was arrested in Guirim following a thorough investigation and a month-long intelligence operation.
The accused has been booked under relevant sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, and further investigation is underway.
Earlier, in a joint operation, the Border Security Force (BSF) and the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) apprehended two drug smugglers near the Amritsar border, officials said. The operation, based on intelligence from the BSF intelligence wing, marked the second successful joint action of the day.
According to the BSF (Punjab Frontier) PRO, authorities set up an ambush after noticing two suspected individuals on motorcycles around 2:20 PM. Following a brief chase, one of the smugglers was captured while the other managed to escape.
Authorities recovered a packet of suspected heroin weighing 506 grams, a smartphone, three ATM cards, and a motorcycle from the apprehended smuggler. The narcotics packet was wrapped in yellow adhesive tape, with a steel ring attached, suggesting it was dropped by a Pakistani drone.
The apprehended smuggler has been identified as a resident of Saidpur Village in Amritsar. The successful operation took place near Village Jasraur, under the jurisdiction of Bhindi Saidan police station.
Following information provided by the arrested smuggler, authorities launched another search operation and tracked down the second smuggler in Avan Basu village at around 3:30 PM.
Both individuals remain in police custody as investigations continue to uncover their links to Pakistan-based narco-smuggling networks. (ANI)