20,876 kg of ganja worth ₹20 crore destroyed in Anakapalli; ASR cultivation wiped out, says IG

The Visakhapatnam Range constabulary connected Thursday (June 18, 2026) destroyed 20,876 kg of ganja, worthy implicit ₹20 crore, on with 23.68 kg of hashish oil. The narcotics volition beryllium burnt successful phases successful an incinerator astatine the Coastal Waste Management Plant successful JN Pharma City astatine Parawada successful Anakapalli district.

Home Minister V Anitha, Pendurthi MLA Panchakarla Ramesh Babu accompanied by IG Visakha Range Gopinath Jatti initiated the demolition process. SP’s nether the Visakha Range besides attended the programme.

Addressing during the programme, Home Minister V Anitha said that establishing a drug-free nine remains 1 of the government’s highest priorities. She stated that portion the authorities is cracking down connected ganja trafficking networks, it is simultaneously promoting alternate crops successful tribal areas to amended farmer’s livelihoods. She said that large-scale consciousness programmes are being conducted successful acquisition institutions to support younker from falling prey to cause abuse. She added that the authorities is coordinating with interstate and planetary agencies to dismantle narcotics networks and frost the assets of offenders.

IGP Gopinath Jatti, said that the ‘Zero Cultivation’ people acceptable successful July 2024 was achieved by January 2026. He noted that ganja cultivation successful Alluri Sitharama Raju (ASR) district, which stood astatine 7,515.15 acres during 2021-22, has been wholly eliminated done continuous surveillance, drone monitoring, and promotion of alternate crops. The occurrence was not solely owed to instrumentality enforcement measures but besides the effect of employment generation, counselling programmes, and extended assemblage outreach successful tribal areas, helium said.

He said that since July 2024, the Visakhapatnam Range Police registered 1,142 NDPS cases and arrested 3,377 accused persons. About 65,560 kg of ganja, 83.19 kg of hashish lipid was recovered, portion 832 vehicles utilized for proscription of narcotics were seized.

The IGP besides said that successful a bid to weaken the fiscal networks of cause traffickers, properties worthy Rs 11.02 crore belonging to 18 accused persons successful 19 cases were frozen. The constabulary besides initiated proposals against 132 habitual offenders nether the PIT-NDPS Act, resulting successful the detention of 51 persons. Additionally, 1,942 past sheets were opened against repetition offenders.

He said that during 2025-26, the authorities distributed 1.59 crore saplings and 37,678 quintals of seeds, encouraging alternate harvest cultivation implicit 29,840 acres successful tribal areas. To support tribal younker from being drawn into ganja transport, accomplishment improvement programmes had provided employment to 415 people.

On the de-addiction initiatives, the IGP said 258 radical suffering from substance maltreatment had been referred to de-addiction centres for attraction and rehabilitation.

ASR SP Amit Bardar, Anakapalli SP Tuhin Sinha, Vizianagaram SP A.R. Damodar, Parvathipuram Manyam SP S.V. Madhav Reddy, Srikakulam SP K.V. Maheshwar Reddy and others were present.