Drugs mixed with 25,000 kg dried yeast, CBI detains shipping container at Visakhapatnam port

The quantity of narcotics is being ascertained, they said.

Operation Garuda

Going on intel from Interpol, under “Operation Garuda”, the CBI also took the help of Customs in the exercise and seized the alleged contraband, they said.

“The whole consignment has been seized and an FIR has been registered against the consignee and unknown others,” a CBI spokesperson said in a statement.

He said the operation indicates the involvement of an international criminal network engaged in importing narcotics drugs by way of mixing it with other substances commonly known as cutting agents.

“In the past also, based on Interpol inputs, the CBI has conducted operations and registered offences under NDPS Act in furtherance of its commitment towards fighting the drug menace at an International level,” the statement read.

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Chandrababu Naidu reacts

Reacting to the seizure, Opposition TDP leader Chandrababu Naidu took to X to say, “Shocking! CBI seized a staggering 25,000 kilos of drugs at Vizag Port, today. The non-cooperation of AP Police and port employees suggests complicity and point towards the potential involvement of the ruling party.”

He added, “The timing of such a huge consignment of drugs finding its way into AP is questionable. What would the ruling (party) have done with the drugs in the upcoming elections? This confirms my fear that Andhra Pradesh has turned into the drug capital of India over the last five years and the future of our youth is at serious risk. It is time that the people responsible for this menace are caught and punished.”

Shocking! CBI seized a staggering 25000 kilos of drugs at Vizag Port, today. The non-cooperation of AP Police and port employees suggests complicity and point towards the potential involvement of the ruling party. The timing of such a huge consignment of drugs finding its way… pic.twitter.com/DZEYaHzL4c

— N Chandrababu Naidu (@ncbn) March 21, 2024

TDP National General Secretary Nara Lokesh stated that the YSRCP is resorting to desperate measures as it becomes increasingly apparent that attaining power is becoming impossible.

In a statement on X, Nara Lokesh highlighted the series of scandals emerging as the elections draw nearer. “Just now, I received troubling news about the seizure of 25,000 kg of drugs from Brazil at the Visakhapatnam port. If these narcotics were imported under the guise of a private company in Vizag, it reveals the extent of desperation within the J-gang. It’s evident that the Tadepalli palace is a hub for this massive drug operation,” he remarked.

చివరిగడియల్లో వైసిపి డ్రగ్స్ మాఫియా జాక్ పాట్!

ఎన్నికలు సమీపిస్తున్న కొద్దీ జగన్ ముఠా పాపాల పుట్ట ఒక్కొక్కటిగా బద్దలవుతోంది. ఇక ఎలాగూ అధికారంలోకి రావడం అసాధ్యమని తేలిపోవడంతో ఆఖరి గడియల్లో వైసిపి చీకటి మాఫియాలు జాక్ పాట్ లు కొట్టే పనిలో నిమగ్నమయ్యాయి. కొద్దిసేపటి క్రితం విశాఖ…

— Lokesh Nara (@naralokesh) March 21, 2024

Nara Lokesh recalled a previous incident where drugs worth ₹21,000 crore, falsely labelled under the Ashi Trading Company in Vijayawada, owned by Kakinada MLA Chandrasekhar Reddy’s proxy, were intercepted at the Mundra port.

He emphasised that the TDP has consistently raised concerns about the proliferation of drug and ganja networks linked to the Tadepalli Palace. Additionally, he criticized the YSRCP for transforming Visakhapatnam into a drug capital instead of fulfilling promises to develop it as the state capital.

(With PTI inputs)

(Edited by Kamna Revanoor)