Visakhapatnam: The Visakhapatnam Range police destroyed 20,876 kg of dry cannabis valued at over Rs 20 crore, along with 23.68 kg of hashish oil, on Thursday at the Coastal Waste Management Plant in JN Pharma City, Parawada, Anakapalle district.
Destruction Process Initiated by Home Minister
Home minister V Anitha, accompanied by IG Visakha Range Gopinath Jatti, initiated the destruction process at a programme attended by Superintendents of Police under the Visakha Range. Anitha reiterated the government's commitment to a drug-free society. She emphasized that beyond cracking down on cannabis cultivation and ganja trafficking networks, the government is simultaneously promoting alternative crops in tribal areas to improve farmers' livelihoods. She added that the government is coordinating with interstate and international agencies to dismantle narcotics networks and freeze the assets of offenders.
Statistics on NDPS Cases and Arrests
The police reported registering 1,142 NDPS cases and arresting 3,377 accused persons between July 2024 and June 2026. During this period, they recovered about 65,560 kg of ganja and 83.19 kg of hashish oil. Additionally, 832 vehicles used for transporting narcotics were seized. In an effort to weaken the financial networks of drug traffickers, properties worth Rs 11.02 crore belonging to 18 accused persons in 19 cases were frozen.
