Visakhapatnam, February 25 The Andhra Pradesh Police destroyed over 52 tonnes of seized marijuana and nearly 142 liters of hashish oil in the Visakhapatnam Range as part of intensified anti-narcotics operations, a police official said.
The narcotic substances were incinerated at the Coastal Waste Management Project in the Parawada region of the Anakapalli district.
"The Andhra Pradesh Police destroyed more than 52 tonnes of seized marijuana along with nearly 142 liters of hashish oil in the Visakhapatnam Range as part of intensified anti-narcotics operations," Visakhapatnam Range IG Gopinath Jatti said in a statement.
He said over 52,000 kilograms of marijuana and nearly 142 liters of hashish oil linked to more than 780 cases in the Alluri Sitharama Raju and Anakapalli districts were destroyed.
Detailing enforcement measures from June 2024 to January 2026, the IG said that police registered over 970 cases, arrested about 2,400 people, and seized over 55,000 kg of marijuana, over 56 kg of hashish oil, and 685 vehicles.
He said that 24 inter-state gangs were identified, and surveillance is being maintained on nearly 130 members as part of sustained anti-drug operations.
Under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, properties worth over Rs 9 crore belonging to 14 main accused were identified and frozen, with confirmation orders issued to curb financial networks behind the narcotics trade.
Police also prepared 92 proposals under the Prevention of Illicit Traffic (PIT) NDPS Act against habitual offenders, implementing 34 detention orders and opening history sheets against nearly 1,600 people, he said.
As part of technological surveillance, 33 drones were deployed 1,360 times over 129 hotspots, leading to the detection of illegal cultivation and the arrest of accused, he said.
He further said that applications such as KHOJ (Knowledge Hub for Order and Justice), NIDAAN (Network for Intelligence Data Access and Analysis Network) and NATGRID (National Intelligence Grid) are being utilized to track criminal data and monitor narcotics networks.
Besides enforcement, the police facilitated rehabilitation through six de-addiction centers, counseling over 400 victims, and referring nearly 240 people for treatment.
To discourage marijuana cultivation, authorities distributed 1.5 crore alternative crop saplings across 29,840 acres to provide alternative livelihood support.
Young people should not sacrifice their golden future to drug addiction. Every citizen must cooperate to achieve a marijuana-free society, the IG added.
