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India busts ganja ring with Lanka link; eight held
The Island
|December 31, 2025
Indian Police have busted a major cannabis trafficking ring with international links, arresting eight suspects, including a software engineer from Bengaluru, for allegedly running a large-scale operation that stretched from Odisha and Andhra Pradesh to Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka.
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Investigators say the gang specialised in smuggling high-quality Sheelavathi strain cannabis, sourced from tribal regions along the Andhra-Odisha border.
This marks the first known case of ganja from this region being pushed into Sri Lanka, according to officials.
Among those arrested is 28-year-old Gade Renuka, a native of Vizianagaram district, described by police as the "lady don" for her extensive control over the network.
This story is from the December 31, 2025 edition of The Island.
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