CHENNAI: Five individuals who were attempting to smuggle 230 kilograms of ganja from Visakhapatnam to Tamil Nadu were arrested by Mangalagiri officials.

According to Daily Thanthi, the police intercepted the culprits near the Kaza Toll Plaza on National Highway 16 in Guntur following a tip-off about the smuggling operation.

The five men were arrested and their two cars, six mobile phones, and cash worth 34,000 seized.

In a press conference at the SEB Commissioner Office in Mangalagiri, Guntur Additional Superintendent of Police Venkateswara Rao said that intensive inspections were carried out near the Kaza tollgate following a tip-off which then led to the arrest of the five ganja smugglers.

The arrested suspects were identified as Muhammad Ameer, Kailas Muthan, Sheikh Abdullah, Karthikeyan, and Mallikarjun from Aranthangi in Pudukkottai district. They were reportedly involved in smuggling ganja from Visakhapatnam to Tamil Nadu over a long period.

The Guntur ADSP also stated that officials have been conducting rigorous searches throughout the district with the goal of making Andhra Pradesh a drug-free state.