Police have arrested two men after seizing high-grade hybrid ganja valued at Rs 83 lakh from their possession in Maharashtra`s Thane district, officials said on Thursday, reported news agency PTI.

A police team noticed them moving suspiciously on a scooter near the Mankoli flyover in the Bhiwandi area late Tuesday night.

“When our team stopped them and conducted a search, we found packets of hybrid ganja, weighing 833 gm, concealed inside the scooter,” an official from Narpoli police station said, reported PTI.

“The duo had brought the contraband for sale in the local market. The total value of the seized material is estimated at Rs 83.3 lakh,” he said, reported PTI.

The police immediately took the two men, identified as Akash Gupta (24) and Harsh Bramhane (26), both residents of Ulhasnagar, into custody and seized the narcotics and the scooter, the official said, reported PTI.

A preliminary investigation suggested the two men were part of a small-scale distribution network operating between Ulhasnagar and Bhiwandi in the district, the police said.

“We are now tracing the source of the contraband and identifying the intended buyers,” the official said, reported PTI.

The accused have been booked under relevant sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, he added.

Nigerian national held with Rs 42.8 lakh drug in Palghar

In another case, the police have arrested a Nigerian national after seizing mephedrone drug valued at Rs 42.8 lakh from him in Maharashtra`s Palghar district, officials said on Wednesday, reported PTI.

During a routine patrol on October 11, personnel of the police`s Anti-Narcotics Cell noticed the man moving suspiciously near a cricket club ground in the Nallasopara area, reported PTI.

When questioned and searched, he was found in possession of 214 grams of mephedrone (MD), a synthetic stimulant drug banned under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, a police official said.

The accused, identified as Kalu Bassey Chukwuemeka (45), a resident of Pragati Nagar in Nallasopara, was arrested and booked under relevant sections of the NDPS Act, the official said, reported PTI.

Meanwhile, the police in Maharashtra`s Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar have seized more than 18,000 bottles of codeine syrup, an addictive drug, and arrested two persons from Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat for their alleged involvement in its supply, officials said on Wednesday.

(With inputs from PTI)

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