Hyderabad Police Bust ₹1.4 Crore Drug Racket, Arrest Five in Major Operations
In a major move against drug trafficking, Hyderabad Police have arrested five people, including three inter-state dealers, in two separate raids. Officers confiscated illegal drugs worth over ₹1.4 crore, including ganja, LSD, and magic mushrooms.
The first bust was led by the Hyderabad Narcotics Enforcement Wing (H-NEW) and Nallakunta Police. They caught four men involved in a high-tech drug network. Among them was Harshvardhan Shrivastava, a 30-year-old architect from Madhya Pradesh, and B. Srinivasa Rahul, an IT professional from Chennai. Two others, Abhishek and Dhawal, are local peddlers from Hyderabad.
Investigators revealed that Shrivastava bought drugs from the dark web, especially through the Dread Market. He used encrypted apps like Signal and paid using cryptocurrency and hawala channels. Rahul sourced hydroponic ganja, also known as OG, through Snapchat. He sold the drugs in Hyderabad, Bengaluru, and Chennai, using courier services and digital communication tools.
During the raid, police found 1.38 kg of hydroponic ganja, 44 LSD blots, 250 grams of magic mushrooms, ₹10,640 in cash, six mobile phones, and two two-wheelers. The total value of the seized items is estimated at over ₹1.4 crore.
In a separate operation, the Central Zone Task Force and Ramgopalpet Police arrested Sunil Bindhani, a 29-year-old man from Odisha, at Ranigunj X Road. He runs a fast-food stall in his village and was caught carrying 1.1 kg of ganja. Police say he bought the drugs for just ₹5,000 from a local supplier in Odisha and traveled to Hyderabad by train.
Additional Commissioner of Police (Crime) P. Viswa Prasad addressed the media on Tuesday, confirming that the investigation is ongoing. Authorities are working to trace the full drug network behind these illegal operations.
