This story is from September 18, 2020

Chamarajanagar police crack whip on cannabis growers

Chamarajanagar police crack whip on cannabis growers
Mysuru: Chamarajanagar district police intensified its crackdown on illegal cannabis cultivation in several villages of Hanur, Kollegal and Yelandur taluks coming under the limits of Male Mahadeshwara Hills and Biligiri Ranganathaswamy Hills range.
Sources in Chamarajanagar district police said the department officials had registered 46 cases — highest number for growing marijuana in 2018 — and seized 500 kg of ganja from growers, while 11 cases were registered in 2019 and 120 kg of cannabis seized.
As many as 12 cases were registered in 2016 and 20 in 2017. This year, about 10 cases were registered and 150 kg of ganja seized as on September 14.
Speaking to TOI, Chamarajanagar SP Divya Sara Thomas said police had been acting tough on cannabis cultivators and is focused on dismantling the supply chain.
Officials found the growers had been cultivating cannabis in small plots — ranging from 50 to 300 plants — in forested and hilly tracts. Some growers have been cultivating marijuana as an inter-crop to cover their illegal cultivation.
Sleuths of district cyber crime, economic offences and narcotics (CEN) special station and other police station personnel have also identified some supply chains originating in remote forest fringe villages.
“As police find it tough to track the illegal cultivation in remote forest fringe villages, the department had sought the help of the forest department officials and public to alert the police to root out the smuggling chain completely. Most of the growers who are poor had chosen the areas sans human inhabitation — far from police and public eyes. Instructions have been given to officials to keep a close vigil in forest fringe village areas on such activities. They have also been asked to coordinate with forest department officials to track such cases”, she said.
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