Sulthan Bathery: In a joint operation, the District Anti-Narcotics Special Action Force (DANSAF) and Sulthan Bathery police arrested two passengers of a Karnataka bus on Saturday and seized 18.90 kg of ganja from them.

According to police, a 10 gm pouch of ganja costs ₹1000 in the retail market. Hence, the total value of the seized ganja would be around ₹19 lakh. 

The accused are Poolanthode Valiyakkalveettil K Babu (44), a native of Adivaram in Kozhikode district, and Mogragath Bengalabeedi KE Jeleel (43), a native of Virajpet, Karnataka.

According to officials, the duo was apprehended for trafficking ganja on a Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) bus travelling from Bengaluru to Kerala on Friday evening.

"The accused reportedly sourced the ganja from Odisha and smuggled it to Bengaluru. The contraband was kept in two bags on the bus. Both were acting as carriers and have previously been involved in smuggling ganja from other states into Kerala," said the police.

The DANSAF and police team intercepted the suspects during a vehicle inspection at the Muthanga checkpost. According to police, routine inspections at the checkposts had been intensified in connection with the Vishu-Easter festival season.

Meanwhile, the special branch wing of the police had also received a tip-off about the transportation of ganja in a public bus from Karnataka to Kerala.

After recording their arrests, police produced the duo before the Magistrate Court in Kalpetta on Saturday noon. The court remanded the accused to judicial custody.