Odisha man arrested for selling ganja chocolates in Hyderabad
New Delhi: A man hailing from Odisha has been arrested by the authorities in Hyderabad on charges of selling ganja chocolates, police said.
The individual, identified as Ananta Kumar Barak, was intercepted while vending ganja-laced chocolates within the Balanagar vicinity on the outskirts of the city, within the jurisdiction of the Cyberabad Police Commissionerate.
Acting on tip-off, the Balanagar police unit conducted a raid on his shop, leading to the confiscation of 140 such illicit chocolates. During interrogation, Barak admitted to targeting labourers and students. The occurrence is the most recent in a string of similar incidents emerging in Hyderabad. Investigations reveal a recurring pattern where migrant labourers originating from Odisha have been implicated in the transportation and distribution of cannabis-infused chocolates within the city.
The modus operandi
The modus operandi typically involves distributing these chocolates gratis among coworkers and students, subsequently fostering dependency before transitioning to sales. Each 5-gram chocolate, retailing at Rs 20, contains approximately 14 per cent extract derived from ganja leaves. In the ongoing crackdown against substance abuse, police agencies have seized ganja-laced chocolates from multiple locations across the city.
Similar incidents
Alarming instances include the discovery of such products being peddled in close proximity to educational institutions. In a recent incident last month, a cumulative total of 41.5 kg of ganja chocolates were intercepted in three separate cases. A labourer from Balasore, Odisha, was apprehended in possession of 3.6 kg of these chocolates at a construction site in Kokapet, where he was found supplying them to coworkers.
