New Delhi, September 9, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has seized around 740 kg of cannabis and charas and arrested 13 people in eight major operations conducted across the country over the past fortnight, the Ministry of Finance said on Wednesday.
According to an official statement, the seizures included 709.6 kg of cannabis (ganja), 24.5 kg of high-grade hydroponic cannabis and 5 kg of charas.
Acting on intelligence inputs, DRI officers intercepted two trucks travelling from Visakhapatnam on Old Dhamtari Road near Raipur. A search led to the recovery of 61 packets concealed in 10 sacks kept in the loading areas of the vehicles. A total of 375.95 kg of cannabis and the two trucks were seized under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985. Four people were arrested.
In another operation conducted on September 5-6, officers intercepted a truck on the Aurangabad-Patna Highway near Patna based on specific intelligence. The DRI team was allegedly attacked during the operation, leaving one officer injured, while the driver managed to escape.
A subsequent search of the truck resulted in the recovery of 90 packets containing 140.5 kg of ganja. The contraband and vehicle were seized under the NDPS Act.
Earlier, on August 26, DRI officers had seized around 124 kg of cannabis concealed in a truck near Raipur and arrested one person.
In a separate operation on September 3, three passengers travelling in the general compartment of the Amarnath Express were intercepted at Gorakhpur railway station. A personal search resulted in the recovery of around 5 kg of charas, allegedly concealed by two passengers in knee-cap-like coverings wrapped around their thighs and hidden beneath their sarees.
Investigations indicated that the charas had been smuggled from Nepal. The contraband was seized and all three passengers were arrested under the NDPS Act.
Meanwhile, three passengers arriving from Hanoi, Vietnam, and Bangkok, Thailand, at Hyderabad and Bengaluru airports were intercepted during the past 15 days. The operations resulted in the seizure of approximately 24.6 kg of high-potency cannabis.
FOLLOW NOW
