In a major crackdown on interstate drug trafficking, the Kolhapur local crime branch (LCB) arrested three men from Satara district and seized 22kg of ganja along with a vehicle near a lake at Ujlaiwadi on the Pune–Bengaluru National Highway late on Thursday night.
Arrests and Seizure
The arrested men are Santosh Mane (47), the suspected gang leader, and Rajkiran More (26) and Somnath Mandale (36). According to inspector Sushant Chavan, the operation was part of a drug-free campaign ongoing in the district. “We received a tip-off that smugglers from Satara were near Ujlaiwadi to sell ganja,” Chavan said. “We laid a trap on Thursday night and arrested them when they arrived to supply the consignment to local peddlars,” he added.
During the operation, officers recovered 2kg of ganja from More, while 20kg was found inside the car used by Mane and Mandale. The police said the gang was involved in wholesale smuggling of ganja from Karnataka, Goa and other states. “Several serious cases are already registered against them,” Chavan noted.
Investigation and Legal Action
A case has been registered at the Gokul Shirgaon police station. “We are probing where the ganja came from and who it was meant for,” Chavan said. The police are investigating the source of the drugs and the network of local peddlers.
Separate Operation in Sangli
In a separate action in Sangli, the LCB arrested Rahul Adgale (23) from Sangliwadi for illegally possessing 84 mephentermine injections. The police seized the injections worth Rs 26,900 and a cellphone worth Rs 30,000 from him. During questioning, Adgale admitted he was selling the injections to youths. He has been handed over to Sangli city police, where a case has been registered based on a complaint filed by officer Ranjit Jadhav.
