Andhra Pradesh police destroy cannabis worth Rs 850 crore under Operation Parivartana

Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh) [India], February 12 : Andhra Pradesh police on Saturday said that it has destroyed more than two lakh kilograms of cannabis worth Rs 850 crore at the Koduru village near Anakapalli in the Visakhapatnam district under Operation Parivartana.
DGP Goutham Sawang said, "More than 2 lakh kgs of ganja were seized by the police and ACB in the last one and a half years in Andhra Pradesh. There has been a crackdown on ganja trade, network and smuggling in the state which is going on in the state for several decades."

Operation Parivartana, launched on October 31 last year, is aimed at curbing the supply side of the ganja menace in the state, said the DGP. This operation was led by the Andhra Pradesh Police, in collaboration with the Special Enforcement Bureau (SEB) to tackle the AOB (Andhra-Odisha Border) Agency region in Visakhapatnam. "There is a network of drug mafias operating in Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh Telangana, and Odisha. The ganja is transported across the country from there", said Sawang.
"From November 2021 to February 2022, the Andhra Pradesh Police have deforested cannabis plants spread across 7,552 acres", stated the Andhra Pradesh police. Around 2 lakh kilograms of processed cannabis was seized while it was being shipped out, post-harvest. These 2 lakh kilograms of cannabis were set on fire in Visakhapatnam, on Saturday", stated the Police.
"As ganja cultivation has been happening in ten areas for decades, police also involved revenue, tribal welfare, agricultural, and Integrated Tribal Development Agency (ITDA) personnel to rehabilitate persons involved in the trade by giving them alternative livelihood opportunities", said the DGP.
The police carried out numerous raids in the areas in and around the Andhra Pradesh-Odisha border in Visakhapatnam district, which is infamous for ganja cultivation.
Speaking at the press conference during the event, The DGP said, "Today we are witnessing a clandestine event, 2 lakh kgs of seized cannabis is being destroyed. Our government has given a mandate to the SEB to curb cannabis, Operation Parivartana has two parts one is through technology and the other is intensive vigilance, previously 3000 acres were destroyed in 2016-17, now through the use of technology and innovations,7,552 acres were destroyed."
The Andhra Pradesh police devised the operation, with a two-pronged strategy. While the primary goal was to find and destroy Marijuana crops, the operation also aimed to educate indigenous communities participating in the production. The operation, which included revenue, tribal welfare, agricultural, and ITDA personnel, aimed to rehabilitate persons involved in the cannabis trade by giving alternative livelihood opportunities.
The DGP added "In the last year we have seized more than 3 lakh kilograms of Cannabis. Most of this Cannabis cultivation takes place in the Andhra Pradesh-Odisha border, in which most of the cultivation takes place in 29 districts of Orissa and 2 districts of Andhra Pradesh, being 11 Mandals. By Geo-mapping the exit routes of the terrain, we have found out that most of the exit routes are in Andhra Pradesh."
The DGP informed that the Andhra Pradesh-Odisha border is a vast area, densely influenced by Naxals and Maoists, who encourage the ganja trade mainly for their revenue. "The Andhra Pradesh-Odisha border is a very vast area, densely influenced by Naxals and Maoists. Due to this, the Andhra Pradesh police and government couldn't access the area. But, since the last year, there has been a focused drive by the Special Enforcement Bureau (SEB) and the Police department resulting in today's fruits of labour. Due to the vigilance and monitoring of the exit routes, we have also learned the Cannabis smugglers", said DGP Goutham Sawang.