The Telangana Prohibition and Excise Department on Wednesday arrested the eighth suspect in connection with the massive drug racket it had unearthed in Hyderabad on Sunday, Deccan Chronicle reported on Wednesday. The suspects were allegedly involved in the supply and peddling of drugs in the city.
Officials recovered more than 800 blots of LSD, 35 g of MDMA (Ecstasy), charas and other drugs from the eight suspect. They are on the look-out for more key players, according to The New Indian Express.
The drug racket was busted following extensive raids in Hyderabad and Secunderabad. The peddlers – five of whom are engineers at MNCs – got more than 1,000 young men and women addicted to imported high-end narcotics.
An Excise Department official told PTI that their clientele included authorities of MNCs, a film producer and students of various schools and colleges. The department has issued advisories to 26 schools and 27 colleges after finding that a considerable number of students were addicted to the drugs.
Brendon Ben, who was arrested on Wednesday, was involved in the nexus of LSD suppliers and peddlers in Hyderabad. Officials said the 20-year-old had established himself as a key player in supplying the drug in a span of over two years.
The director of the department’s Enforcement Wing, Akun Sabharwal, said Ben was known by multiple names such as Bob and Mountain, among others, and that he owns a dog kennel and runs an event management company.
Assistant Excise Superintendent K Pavan Kumar said the suppliers used to procure drugs from the dark net and pay using Bitcoins.
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