39 Arrested, Drugs Worth Rs 55 Crore Seized In Major Op In Bengaluru

39 persons, eight of them foreigners, were arrested and narcotic substances worth an estimated Rs 55.80 crore were seized from their possession, police said on Monday.

The action was taken as part of the 'BEDA BRO' programme, an initiative under Mission RISE and the Bengaluru City Police's anti-drug campaign, they said.

Speaking to reporters here, Bengaluru City Police Commissioner Seemant Kumar Singh said drugs worth more than Rs 55 crore had been seized from various locations in Bengaluru and other states-Delhi, Noida, Gurugram and Kerala as part of Mission RISE.

The seized substances included MDMA, hydro ganja, cocaine and ganja.

"39 people were arrested in this operation, including eight foreigners, 21 people from other states and 10 locals. This is a major operation undertaken by 16 units of the city police, including the CCB," he said.

According to police, the 39 accused told investigators during interrogation that they had been purchasing prohibited narcotic substances at low prices from unidentified suppliers from abroad, other states and within Karnataka, and selling them at higher prices to the general public and college students for quick profits.

The seized narcotic substances comprised 21 kg and 641 grams of MDMA, 738 grams of cocaine, 4 kg and 493 grams of hydro ganja, 184 kg and 625 grams of ganja, 1 kg and 65 grams of opium and 25 grams of morphine, besides Rs 17 lakh in cash, 22 mobile phones and five two-wheelers, the Office of the Commissioner of Police said in a statement.

The arrested accused were produced in courts on various dates and remanded to judicial custody, police said.

Efforts are underway to trace and apprehend the unidentified persons who allegedly supplied the narcotic substances to the accused, and the investigations are in progress, they added.

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