Jodhpur: The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), Jodhpur, arrested three drug smugglers Thursday and seized 100 grams of MD drugs along with a car under ‘Operation Kavach’ campaign against narcotics trafficking. The accused have been identified as Gopal from Surendra Nagar in Gujarat, Surendra Acharya from Barmer and Hanumana Ram from Jaipur.Preliminary interrogation revealed that the accused allegedly procured consignments of MD drugs from Jodhpur’s Dangiyawas area and supplied them in Anand and Surendra Nagar districts of Gujarat. NCB is investigating a wider supply network and examining whether people associated with certain spa centres and other suspected activities in these areas were involved in it.NCB Jodhpur zonal director Ghanshyam Soni said attempts were being made to lure young people into drug abuse during Navratri. The agency is trying to identify other members of the trafficking network.In a separate operation a day earlier, the NCB Jodhpur zonal unit, Rajasthan Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) and Rajasthan Police destroyed illegal cannabis cultivation spread across approximately 57 hectares in Mandwa village of Kotra tehsil, Udaipur.A joint team acting on specific intelligence from ANTF Rajasthan raided and inspected the site. Local police personnel and a patwari verified that illegal cultivation extended across khasra No. 56 in the village.Officials found approximately 1.33 lakh cannabis plants at the site. Based on an estimated market rate of Rs 50,000 per kg, the potential market value of the crop was assessed at approximately Rs 199.50 crore.
