Varanasi: The Varanasi field unit of the UP Special Task Force (STF) on Sunday recovered 123 kg of ganja (cannabis) worth Rs 30 lakh and arrested one person during a raid at the warehouse of a prominent courier company, in the Parmanandpur area under Rohania police station.The STF, along with sleuths from the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), raided the warehouse after receiving inputs about large-scale cannabis smuggling.The arrested accused has been identified as Premchand Maurya of Jahanaganj in Azamgarh district.During initial interrogation, Maurya revealed that one Bablu Varman of Guwahati used to send ganja consignments in this manner. He said that Bablu, in collusion with the local manager of the courier company, used to deliver the packets to smugglers in Varanasi, Azamgarh, Gorakhpur, and Deoria.He further informed the police that, to conceal their identity, the packets were affixed with silk saree labels and receipts bearing fake names and addresses. The smugglers collected the goods from the warehouse by citing the fake mobile numbers mentioned on the receipts.Officials said the cannabis was sold online at a rate of Rs 3,800 per kg.
