Five people were arrested near Samayapuram in Trichy district for carrying 21.2 kg of cannabis concealed among dried fish.[1] On district superintendent of police Dongare Pravin Umesh’s directions, teams intensified vehicle checks on key roads within Samayapuram limits on intelligence that a group was moving cannabis by truck from Andhra Pradesh.[1] A team intercepted the truck on the service road linking the Trichy-Chennai national highway to the Samayapuram four-road junction.[1] The occupants gave contradictory answers, prompting a thorough search that uncovered packets of cannabis concealed among sacks of dried fish.[1] The suspects were identified as S. Joel, 24, and A. Aravind, 31, of Puducherry, C. Ondimuthukumar, 46, and C. Idhayabalan, 33, of Cuddalore, and M. Kamaraj, 29, of Trichy.[1]

Investigation found the group had procured the cannabis from the Andhra Pradesh-Odisha border and transported it via Visakhapatnam.[1] The group had already distributed some quantity and was carrying the remainder toward Trichy.[1] The accused admitted they intended to sell it at high profit to peddlers who deal with school and college students in and around Samayapuram.[1]

Officers seized 21.2 kg of cannabis, Rs 50,000 in cash from previous sales, the truck, two two-wheelers and five mobile phones.[1] Samayapuram police registered cases under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act.[1] The five were produced before a magistrate and remanded in judicial custody.[1] Rockfort Times separately recorded that in October police seized about 21 kg of ganja near the Trichy-Chennai bypass by the Chidambaram branch road.[2]