Silk Saree Labels Fake Consignees Assam Up Cannabis Network Using Courier Cargo Route Busted 1 Held

rested and 123 kg of ganja valued at around ₹30 lakh was seized, senior STF officials said on Sunday.

The accused, identified as Prem Chandra Maurya, a resident of Azamgarh district, was arrested on Saturday from the TCI Express courier warehouse in Paramanandpur under Rohania police station limits of Varanasi, officials said.

According to investigators, the network had developed a clandestine supply chain linking Assam with eastern Uttar Pradesh, using courier cargo consignments disguised as legitimate commercial goods. The seizure followed intelligence inputs received by the STF regarding the activities of interstate narcotics traffickers operating through transport and logistics channels.

Acting on a tip-off, an STF team in coordination with the NCB, conducted a search at the courier warehouse. During the operation, officials found ganja concealed inside parcels labelled as “silk sarees”. The accused was apprehended after the contraband was recovered.

Investigators said the racket’s modus operandi was designed to avoid direct contact between suppliers and receivers while minimising the risk of interception. During questioning and intelligence analysis, officials found that the consignment originated in Assam, where a supplier identified as Babru Varman of Udalguri allegedly arranged the procurement and packaging of ganja. The contraband was then allegedly handed over to a person identified as Bablu in Guwahati, who, investigators claim, coordinated with a manager associated with a courier service to dispatch the narcotics through cargo transport.

To evade scrutiny, the accused packed the ganja in parcels carrying labels of silk sarees and generated consignment receipts using fictitious names and addresses. Upon arrival in Uttar Pradesh, intended recipients would visit the courier facility and claim the parcels by quoting the fake mobile numbers mentioned on the receipts, officials said.

Investigators said the network is suspected to have supplied narcotics to traffickers operating in Varanasi, Azamgarh, Gorakhpur and Deoria districts. They further claimed that payments were transferred online to suppliers at the rate of approximately ₹3,800 per kg of ganja.

Apart from the narcotics, officials also recovered a mobile phone from the accused. An NCB case was registered under relevant provisions of the NDPS Act, including sections 8, 20, 25, 27A and 29, officials said.

Further investigation is underway to identify other members of the network, trace financial transactions and determine the extent of alleged collusion within the logistics chain that enabled the movement of narcotics across state borders.