Ludhiana: The passion for partying after scoring money in drug transactions has been expected to be expensive for a group of smugglers captured by the Directorate of Income Directorate (DRI) in late night attacks in the Neechi Mangli area in Ludhiana on Wednesday.
The Dri team was waiting for the right opportunity to attack and arrest six smugglers with 428kg of marijuana (Weed), which was said to be one of the biggest seizures in Ludhiana.
Estimated smuggled value confiscated, hidden in salt sacks, said to be in Crores.
All defendants were produced in the local court after their medical examination.
They have been returned in court custody until September 23.
The Raid team consists of 25 officials and Zonal Ludhiana office staff from Dri.
The source that was highly placed in the department said the smugglers caught were one of the largest fish in the marijuana business in Punjab and smuggled contraband goods from other states in salt sacks and then sold them in small quantities to all cities, especially Ludhiana.
They have even made a warehouse in a secret location in the Neechi Mangli area in Ludhiana to store marijuana-Laden salt sacks.
The source said the defendant had been on the radar from some time after the agency had smell about this illegal trade in Ludhiana.
During the investigation, officials focused on the six accused of this.
In the past few days, only four of the defendants were present in the city.
Along together not in the city, Dri waited for them to return so that all could be captured together.
When agency officials know that they will party on Wednesday night, they swoop and catch them all.