A drug peddler from Hafeezpet, V. Lakshmipathi (25), who supplied hash oil to another peddler, Prem Upadhya, whose friend died at NIMS while undergoing treatment for drug overdose last week, was among the four persons arrested by the Hyderabad Narcotic Enforcement Wing (H-NEW) on Wednesday. Officials seized 840 grams of hash oil, four mobiles and a two-wheeler from the accused.
Addressing a press conference at Nallakunta police station, DCP (H-NEW) Gummi Chakravarthy said that Lakshmipathi procured the contraband from K. Nageshwar Rao (36), a ganja cultivator and supplier from Logili, Visakhapatnam, who was also apprehended by their team. While Rao was accused in three cases in Nalgonda and Hyderabad, Lakshmipathi was involved in six cases across Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.
The other two arrested are their clients and hash oil addicts, A. Vamsi Krishna, (25), a jobless youth from Miyapur, and Vikram Morya (22), a student from Biranguda in Sangareddy district.
Mr. Gummi said that Lakshmipathi used to purchase one kg hash oil for ₹50,000 and sell it at ₹3,000 for 5 grams. “He formed a big organised network in Hyderabad, Cyberabad and Rachakonda limits and supplied contraband to sub-peddlers and addicted consumers,” the officer said.
Rao’s entire family and relatives were involved in the business of cultivating and supplying ganja, and he maintained a country-wide network.
“A preliminary enquiry revealed that he has 14 peddlers in Odisha, 13 in Tamil Nadu, eight in Delhi, seven in Karnataka, four in Mumbai, three in Uttar Pradesh, two in Kerala and one in Bihar,” he said. Acting on a tip-off, the H-NEW team nabbed them near Secunderabad railway station.
