CHENNAI: The Anti-Narcotics Intelligence Unit (ANIU) arrested three people, including an assistant film director, for allegedly selling high-grade OG ganja in the city. The arrests were made during a surveillance operation on Perianna Street in Seven Wells.

The suspects were identified as Premkumar (32) of Tondiarpet, Alex Santosh (34) of Seven Wells, and Rajan (36) of Wimco Nagar near Tiruvottiyur. Premkumar, who previously worked as an assistant director, is alleged to be the key person behind the operation. The police seized 750 grams of high-quality ganja, Rs 15 lakh in cash, and a high-end motorcycle from the trio.

Investigations revealed that Premkumar procured ganja from a supplier named Aslam, who is currently based in Malaysia. According to investigators, Premkumar travelled to Malaysia multiple times to meet Aslam, and smuggled OG ganja into Chennai. He stored the narcotics in his rented house, packaged them in small quantities, and distributed them to local contacts in Chennai.

The earnings were funnelled through an ATM withdrawal system managed by Alex Santosh, a call centre employee, while Rajan helped with local delivery and logistics, police said.

Suspecting that Premkumar may have supplied OG ganja to individuals within the Tamil film industry, the police are now expanding their inquiry to identify potential recipients. Efforts are also under way to apprehend Aslam and another associate, Augustine, both of whom are believed to be hiding in Malaysia.