Bengaluru police arrest 34 in citywide drug crackdown; narcotics worth ₹12.61 crore seized

The police said all 34 accused have been produced before the jurisdictional courts and remanded to judicial custody.

The Bengaluru City Police have arrested 34 people, including two foreign nationals and nine persons from other States, in a major crackdown on drug trafficking across 11 police station limits. Narcotic substances with an estimated market value of ₹12.61 crore were seized during the operation.

The seized drugs include 5.519 kg of MDMA, 46.486 kg of ganja, 72.82 grams of cocaine and 1.542 litres of hashish oil. The police also seized eight mobile phones, two two-wheelers and ₹1,000 in cash. The value of the seized narcotics was estimated at ₹6.30 crore.

The raids were conducted in the jurisdictions of Hebbal, Koramangala, D.J. Halli, Mahalakshmi Layout, Yeshwanthpur, Adugodi, Hennur, Govindapura, Begur, Hebbagodi and Bandepalya police stations.

According to the police, the operation followed specific inputs from informants about the sale of banned narcotic substances in these areas. Cases were registered under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act before conducting raids at the identified locations.

During interrogation, the accused allegedly revealed that they procured drugs at lower prices from suppliers in the State, abroad and other States, and sold them at higher prices to people, including college students, for quick profits.

The police are now investigating the supply chain to identify the suppliers and uncover the wider drug distribution network. All 34 accused have been produced before the jurisdictional courts and remanded to judicial custody.