HYDERABAD: The Hyderabad Narcotics Enforcement Wing (H-NEW) of the city police on Thursday said it has dismantled a major interstate drug trafficking syndicate that was distributing ganja across the country using postal and courier services.During the investigation, police said they identified a serious security lapse, as the syndicate was able to exploit Speed Post to transport narcotics, news agency PTI reported.The network, operating mainly from Jharkhand, was busted following the arrest of its key mastermind, Satyam Misra, a resident of Giridih district.The racket came to light after H-NEW intercepted a ganja parcel sent via the Isri Bazar Post Office in Jharkhand to a recipient in Hyderabad.Questioning of the receiver led investigators to uncover the entire supply chain,PTI reported.Misra, who discontinued his education due to financial hardship, initially worked as a painter and later as a commercial vehicle driver travelling across states. During frequent trips to Mumbai, he allegedly developed a ganja addiction in 2018 and came into contact with drug users and peddlers.Seeking quick money, Misra and his elder brother Shubham Misra allegedly entered the illegal ganja trade and later formed an organised syndicate by recruiting Sachin Misra, Rahul Jha and Santosh Pandit.Police said the syndicate cultivated ganja in their native village and also sourced it from unidentified local suppliers in Jharkhand.The contraband was supplied to customers in nearly 21 states, including Hyderabad, Mumbai, Chennai, Delhi and Bengaluru, officials said.To ship the drugs, the gang used the Isri Bazar and Phusro Bazar post offices, falsely declaring the contents as medicines while booking Speed Post parcels.Apart from postal deliveries, the gang maintained a large consumer base in Mumbai, with over 1,000 regular customers. Shubham Misra transported bulk consignments by train from Jharkhand to Mumbai, where the ganja was stored at the residences of Sachin Misra and Santosh Pandit.The accused allegedly managed Mumbai-based customers remotely from Jharkhand using a messaging app and employed code words such as “mango, stick and flower” to indicate quantities of ganja and evade law enforcement.The syndicate dispatched around 80 to 100 orders daily, with eight to 10 consignments sent through Speed Post each day, PTI reported.Each parcel contained 50 to 250 grams of ganja, sold for Rs 1,500 to Rs 8,000 per order. The operation allegedly generated around Rs one lakh per day, amounting to Rs 30–35 lakh per month and an annual turnover of approximately Rs 4–5 crore.Police said the probe revealed another serious security concern, as parcels were transported across states via trains and commercial flights without being scanned. Consignments sent to Hyderabad reportedly arrived by air without undergoing any security checks during transit.Following the exposure of ganja smuggling through courier services, police have intensified surveillance of courier agencies. All courier operators in Hyderabad have been instructed to mandatorily scan every parcel they book and deliver, officials said.Hyderabad Police commissioner VC Sajjanar commended the team of officials involved in the operation. He appreciated their meticulous planning and successful execution.(With agency inputs)
