Mangaluru police seize 119 kg cannabis worth ₹35 lakh

Mangaluru police seize 119 kg cannabis worth ₹35 lakh

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangaluru,February 19, 2025: The Mangaluru police seized 119 kg of cannabis worth ₹35 lakh while it was allegedly being transported from Visakhapatam to Kerala via Mangaluru on Monday. They arrested four persons in this connection.

Police Commissioner Anupam Agrawal here on Tuesday gave the names of the arrested persons as Moydheen Shabbir of Kasaragod in Kerala; Mahesh Dwarikanath Pandey hailing from Maharashtra and residing in Vijayawada of Andhra Pradesh; Ajay Krishna of Alappuzha in Kerala, and Jeevan Singh from Jind district in Haryana. The police seized five mobile phones, fish crates, and other materials used for transporting the contraband.

Talking to reporters on Tuesday, Mr. Agrawal said the City Crime Branch (CCB) sleuths, on a tip-off, intercepted a car and an insulated goods vehicle at Mittakodi in Kurnadu village of Ullal taluk.

Some cannabis was seized from the car, while the remaining contraband was found hidden in fish crates of the goods vehicle.

Mr. Agrawal said the accused used their contacts to source cannabis grown in the Maoist-affected forest areas of Andhra Pradesh that borders Odisha. The cannabis was brought to Visakhapatam and then brought by road in the two vehicles. Further investigation is on to trace the other persons associated with the arrested persons.  

The official said Shabbir came in touch with Ajay Krishna through a common friend. When Shabbir was in prison following a criminal case in 2021, he came in contact with Pandey and Jeevan Singh. The cannabis was meant for distribution to contacts of the accused in Kerala.  

Shabbir is accused in a total of 12 criminal cases, including murder, assault, theft, and cattle theft, registered in Kasaragod, Manjeshwar, Kumble, and Vidyanagar police stations in Kerala.

Shabbir was arrested by the CCB in 2023 for smuggling 23.25 kg of cannabis, He was in prison for 17 months and released on bail six months ago.  

Pandey is an accused in two cases of cannabis smuggling registered in Rajahmundry, Andhra Pradesh. Ajay Krishna is accused in six cases, including robbery, assault, drug trafficking, and bank fraud, registered in Alappuzha, Kerala. Jeevan Singh is accused in a cannabis smuggling case in Motukudam, Andhra Pradesh, the Police Commissioner said.  

The official praised the efforts of the CCB team led by Assistant Commissioner of Police Manoj Kumar Naik in seizing a large quantity of cannabis. The team comprised police inspector K.M. Rafiq, police sub inspector Sharanappa Bhandari, and assistant sub inspectors K.V. Mohan, Ram Poojari, and Sujan Shetty.