A techie, a ‘lady don’ and a Sri Lanka link: Inside India’s latest cannabis bust

Police say the gang sourced high-grade cannabis from the Andhra–Odisha border and routed it through Tamil Nadu, marking a rare Sri Lanka link.

Police have arrested eight people, including a Bengaluru-based software engineer, for allegedly operating a large cannabis trafficking network spanning Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka, according to police cited by CNN-News18.

Investigators believe this is the first known case of ganja sourced from the Andhra–Odisha border region being smuggled into Sri Lanka.

Key accused and seizure

Among those arrested is 28-year-old Gade Renuka, a native of Vizianagaram district, whom police describe as a central organiser of the operation. Owing to her reach across states, associates allegedly referred to her as the “lady don”.

Officers seized 74 kg of dry cannabis, a car, two motorcycles and multiple mobile phones during the operation, police told CNN-News18.

How the network operated

Police said Renuka operated across Payakaraopeta, Narsipatnam, Saluru and Bengaluru. Along with an associate, Surya Kalidas, she allegedly rented a house in Narsipatnam to store ganja sourced from Odisha before routing it onward.

According to investigators, cannabis was procured from tribal areas of Balimela and Chitrakonda in Odisha at around Rs 5,000 per kg through a middleman, Adduri Prasad.

Route to Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka

Police said drivers Madhan Kumar and Naga Muttu transported consignments to the Rajanagaram highway junction, from where the drug was distributed across Tamil Nadu and, in some cases, pushed onward to Sri Lanka.

Officials said smaller packets were also sold locally in Tamil Nadu, while links with coastal smugglers helped move larger consignments abroad.

While ganja trafficking from eastern India to southern states is not new, police said the Sri Lanka connection marks a significant escalation, suggesting traffickers are testing maritime routes to expand markets.