Andhra Pradesh Police seized 385 kg of ganja and arrested five drug smugglers across Vijayawada, Kurnool and Visakhapatnam districts on Oct 15, 2026. The coordinated operation, backed by the Narcotics Control Bureau and the Special Enforcement Group, also recovered 130 grams of MDMA worth ₹13 lakh. The seized drugs were found in three separate locations, each linked to a different trafficking route.
The first raid unfolded at Vijayawada Railway Station during the night of Oct 13‑14. Police arrested Yerramsetty Naga Sowmya, a 26‑year‑old MBA graduate arriving from Bengaluru on the SMVT Bengaluru‑Howrah Express. 110 grams of MDMA, valued at ₹11 lakh, were confiscated from her luggage, and her alleged handler, Shaik Basheer, was detained the next day.
The second sweep took place in Kurnool district at Amakathadu on Oct 14‑15. Nalluri Varun Teja, a Rajahmundry native living in Hyderabad, was caught driving a Hyundai Verna. Police seized 20 grams of MDMA, worth about ₹2 lakh, from the vehicle.
The third operation targeted a Tata Eicher truck at Turluvada Toll Plaza in Visakhapatnam district. The joint team, comprising AP Counter Intelligence, the NCB, Visakhapatnam police and EAGLE units, seized 385 kg of dry ganja valued at ₹1.925 crore. Three suspects—Bandu Agatarao Gangathade, Rohan Bopu Bondra and Kiran Anil Bodare, all from Solapur district—were arrested while the contraband was en route from Odisha’s Machhkund area to Shirdi in Maharashtra. The intelligence unit said it had been tracking the network for two‑and‑a‑half years.
Officials will file a charge sheet under the Narcotics Control Act at the district court on Oct 18, 2026, marking the first major blow to the state’s drug trafficking network.