Two arrested for hash oil sale, 367 grams of contraband seized

The Commissioner’s Task Force, Khairtabad Zone team, along with the Musheerabad police, arrested two persons, including a seller and a buyer, for selling and purchasing hash oil during a raid near Risalagadda on Saturday. Police seized 367 grams of hash oil packed in 53 small plastic containers, along with a two-wheeler and three mobile phones.

The arrested persons were identified as 34-year-old Dovari Jyothi Ratna Pradeep, a resident of Balaji Nagar in Yapral, and 46-year-old Kota Vijay Kumar, a resident of Golkonda Cross Roads in Musheerabad. Pradeep was allegedly supplying the narcotic substance while Vijay Kumar had come to purchase it.

According to the police, Pradeep procured hash oil in bulk from his contacts in Andhra Pradesh for about ₹50,000 per litre. The substance was then repacked into small plastic containers of about five grams each and sold to consumers for ₹2,000 to ₹2,500 per container. Vijay Kumar allegedly purchased one container for ₹2,000 and paid in cash.

Investigation revealed that due to financial difficulties, Pradeep allegedly began procuring and supplying hash oil in the city with the help of an associate, Shaik Mahaboob Basha, who maintained contact details of customers and coordinated transactions.

Pradeep had earlier been arrested in a hash oil case by the Prohibition and Excise authorities in Guntur in 2022. Vijay Kumar had also been previously arrested in a narcotics case.

The Task Force team acted on specific information and intercepted Pradeep while he was waiting to deliver the substance to the consumer in Musheerabad. Both were apprehended and later handed over to the Musheerabad police for further investigation.