Tirupati police intensified action against ganja traffickers and consumers, booking 16 alleged traffickers under the PD Act and arresting 124 people so far in 2026.[1] Police opened around 275 history sheets against habitual offenders and are using rapid testing kits to trace supply sources.[1] In the latest action, a repeat trafficker facing four NDPS cases involving 222 kg of ganja was detained under the PIT NDPS Act and shifted to Rajahmundry Central Prison.[1] District superintendent L. Subba Rayudu said police are giving special attention to eliminating ganja and other narcotics from Tirupati given its importance as a spiritual centre.[1]

So far in 2026, police registered 46 cases, seized 229 kg of ganja and arrested 124 people.[1] In 2024, police registered 85 cases, seized 872 kg of ganja and arrested 223 people.[1] In 2025, the figures fell to 68 cases, 762 kg and 179 arrests.[1] Police tested around 12,000 people so far, of whom 430 tested positive for ganja consumption.[1] More than 350 of those who tested positive were workers from other states who had come to the district seeking employment.[1]

Rapid testing kits are being used to identify consumers and trace their sources of supply.[1] Police teams are monitoring railway routes used to transport ganja to Tirupati from other states.[1] A specially trained dog squad is being deployed to detect drug consignments on trains.[1] The police and the EAGLE anti-narcotics wing are coordinating operations against suppliers, local sellers and habitual offenders.[1] Rayudu urged the public to report ganja-related activity to the police or Dial 112, assuring informants that their identities would remain confidential.[1] Rayudu said police will not hesitate to invoke preventive detention against repeat offenders.[1]