Pune Crime: 7-Member Ganja Smuggling Racket Busted, Drugs Worth ₹3.03 Crore Seized
· Free Press Journal
In a major crackdown under the Centre’s 'Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyan,' Pune Rural Police have busted an inter-state ganja smuggling racket and arrested seven accused involved in the illegal transportation and distribution across western Maharashtra. Police seized 634 kilograms of ganja, two four-wheelers, and other material collectively valued at around ₹3.03 crore.
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The operation was jointly carried out by the Local Crime Branch (LCB) and the Baramati City Police Station under the guidance of Pune Rural Superintendent of Police Sandeep Singh Gill.
According to the police, Baramati City Police had earlier registered Crime No. 78/2026 under Sections 8(c), 20(b)(ii)(c), and 29 of the NDPS Act on February 28 after recovering 478.950 kg of ganja worth ₹2.39 crore stored inside two plastic drums in a farm near Jalochi-Pimpali Road in Baramati. The contraband had allegedly been hidden there for sale by unidentified persons.
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During the probe, police received confidential inputs that the seized ganja had been procured and stored by known offenders Samadhan Dharmaraj Gaikwad and Vicky alias Pappu Vijay Kamble with the help of their associates. Technical surveillance and intelligence gathering later led to the arrest of four accused from the Tandulwadi area on May 3.
The arrested accused were identified as Prakash alias Pakya Mohan Kate (29), a resident of Kalyaninagar, Tandulwadi, Baramati; Samadhan Dharmaraj Gaikwad (23), currently residing in Sangvi, Baramati, and originally from Dharashiv district; Princekumar Munna Singh (22), a resident of Siwan district, Bihar; and Rahul Kalyan Gore (27), a resident of Beed district.
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Police investigations revealed that the gang allegedly sourced ganja from Chhattisgarh and distributed it illegally across Solapur, Sangli, and Satara districts.
Subsequently, acting on specific intelligence, police teams tracked two Toyota Innova vehicles allegedly transporting narcotics towards Baramati via the Pandharpur and Phaltan routes on May 20.
One of the vehicles, bearing registration number MH-02-CZ-0302, was intercepted by the Sangli Local Crime Branch near Kupwad. Police detained the accused Vicky alias Pappu Vijay Kamble (32), a resident of Bhimnagar, Jalochi, Baramati, and recovered 134 kg of ganja worth ₹33.55 lakh from the vehicle. A separate NDPS case was registered at MIDC Kupwad Police Station in Sangli.
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Police stated that preliminary investigation indicates the accused were operating a large inter-state narcotics supply network that sourced cannabis from Chhattisgarh and supplied it to drug peddlers across western Maharashtra.
Officials said the successful operation has helped dismantle a major inter-state ganja trafficking racket, and further investigation is underway to trace the wider network and financial links associated with the syndicate.