Hyderabad: Drugs worth Rs 8.50 crore seized, three including cop held

Hyderabad: The special operating team (SOT) of Cyberabad police on Tuesday arrested three peddlers, one of which is a police constable, and seized drugs in huge quantities at Pet Basheerabad area of the city.

On receiving credible information, the police team conducted searches in Pet Basheerabad late on Sunday and nabbed G Linga Goud, proprietor of Dr Goud Laboratories in Kondapur and M Vinod Kumar, a driver from Vijayawada.

The police also arrested Armed Reserve Constable Ramakrishna Goud in Medak, based on the information they provided during the interrogation.

About 140 kg of Alprazolam, a synthetic drug worth Rs 8.50 crore, was seized from the accused, including two vehicles used for transportation and Rs.50,000 in cash, Balanagar DCP PV Padmaja said.

Linga Goud, who holds a PhD in organic chemistry, used his knowledge and experience in drug-making to make Alprazolam. He procured raw materials from various pharmaceutical companies and processed them in a pharmaceutical company of his friend, Kiran in Vijaywada.

 “He took the help of his brother-in-law Ramakrishna, a police constable at the AR Headquarters in Medak to sell the material in and around Hyderabad and made huge profits. The constable misused his official position to avoid the local police in police checking,” said the DCP.

The trio had been running the operation for five years. They used to supply the drug to toddy manufacturers across Telangana, who used it to make the toddy more intoxicating.