Hash oil racket busted in Hyderabad: 367g seized, two held

Hyderabad: The Commissioner’s Task Force (Khairtabad Zone), in coordination with Musheerabad Police, arrested a drug peddler and a consumer near Risalagadda, Havely, Bakaram, under Musheerabad police limits on Friday.

The police seized 367 grams of hash oil, a two-wheeler and three mobile phones from their possession.

Peddler caught while delivering a consignment

The arrested peddler has been identified as Dovari Jyothi Ratna Pradeep (34), a native of Guntur district in Andhra Pradesh and presently residing at Balaji Nagar, Yapral, Hyderabad.

He was allegedly waiting to deliver hash oil to a customer, Kota Vijay Kumar (46), a resident of Golkonda X Roads, Musheerabad, when the task force team swooped in on credible information.

Police said they recovered 53 small plastic sachets containing hash oil, weighing a total of 367 grams, along with a motorcycle and three mobile phones.

Supply chain from Andhra Pradesh

During interrogation, Pradeep reportedly confessed that he procured hash oil in bulk quantities from suppliers in Andhra Pradesh.

According to police, the contraband was purchased at Rs 50,000 per litre and later repackaged into small containers of approximately five grams each. These were allegedly sold to consumers in Hyderabad for Rs 2,000 to Rs 2,500 per sachet.

Investigators revealed that Pradeep, along with his associate Shaik Mahaboob Basha of Guntur, managed the distribution network. Consumer contacts were reportedly maintained by the associate, who facilitated transactions through conference calls.

Financial distress led to drug trade

Police said Pradeep had migrated from Guntur to Hyderabad a few years ago and was staying in a rented house at Balaji Nagar.

He allegedly turned to drug peddling due to financial difficulties and began supplying hash oil within city limits under the guidance of his associate.

Previous cases against accused

Authorities stated that Pradeep was previously arrested in 2022 by the Prohibition & Excise Station, Guntur, in a hash oil case and remanded to judicial custody.

The consumer, Kota Vijay Kumar, was also earlier arrested in 2022 in connection with a case registered under Sections 8(c), 20(ii)(A) and 29 of the NDPS Act at Chaitanyapuri Police Station under the Malkajgiri Commissionerate.

Case handed over to Musheerabad Police

On March 7, when Pradeep arrived in Musheerabad to deliver the drug consignment, the Khairtabad Zone Task Force team, along with Musheerabad police personnel, apprehended both the peddler and the consumer.

The accused, along with the seized material, were handed over to the Station House Officer of Musheerabad Police Station for further investigation and necessary legal action.