NCB seizes 25 kg of ephedrine

The accused Natarajan (56) of Bhavani Nagar in Redhills is said to be running a goods transport firm in the locality and allegedly received the contraband from smugglers in Assam.

Based on a tip-off, NCB sleuths raided his house on Thursday and found a huge quantity of ephidrine hidden in polythene bags. NCB sources said ephedrine is a precursor and is used as an ingredient to make methamphetamine, a highly addictive stimulant that affects thecentral nervous system.

NCB sleuths said that they launched a hunt for other suspects based on Natarjan’s inputs and hinted more seizures in the coming days. Natarajan was arrested under NDPS Act and furtherinvestigation is on.

Meanwhile, Greater Chennai Police have informed that they arrested as many as 156 ganja peddlers and seized 174 kg of contraband in the last three months as part of the ongoing drive against to curb the prevalence of ganja in the city. In the last one month, 70 ganja peddlers were arrested and 20 of them were detained under Goondas Act. In the same three-month period last year, 124 peddlers were arrested and 60 kg ganja was seized from them.

In the last two weeks, 15 kg ganja was seized by Kotturpuram police, while Pallikaranai police seized 6 kg ganja. Taramani and Kanathur police seized 5 kg ganja each.

City police said the operation would continue in the coming days and added that serious action would be initiated against peddlers supplying ganja to school and college students.