Drug smuggler crashes car; police uncover 16 kg marijuana stashed in vehicle

A routine patrol turned into a major drug bust on the night of Independence Day when Abdullapurmet police intercepted a car that had rammed a divider and discovered over 16 kgs of marijuana inside.

A tyre burst led to the accident while the smuggler was en route to his residence in Khammam before heading to Maharashtra, police said.

At around 9.22 p.m. on August 15, police got a call about a white sedan that had crashed near the Nirmala Service Station on NH-65 at Batasingaram in Abdullapurmet. Patrol staff rushed to the spot to help and identified the driver as 33-year-old Bhukya Madhu, a resident of Khammam district.

On checking the vehicle, officers found two white plastic bags containing brown-taped packets emanating a strong smell of marijuana.

The contraband, weighing 16.46 kg, was seized along with the vehicle and a mobile phone, said Inspector V. Ashok Reddy.

“During questioning, Madhu confessed that he was transporting the marijuana from Rajahmundry to Nagpur on the instructions of a friend named Sadib from Khammam. Sadib is said to have paid him ₹50,000 in advance on August 13, and directed him to collect the consignment from an unidentified supplier in Rajahmundry, to whom he paid ₹45,000. Madhu kept ₹5,000 for expenses before starting his journey,” he said.

Madhu lost control of the car while speeding, leading to the crash that exposed the trafficking attempt. Efforts are on to trace Sadib and the Rajahmundry supplier who handed over the consignment.

A case has been registered and Madhu was arrested. He was produced before court on Saturday.