VISAKHAPATNAM: DGP D Gautam Sawang on Monday said Maoists are supporting ganja cultivation in tribal pockets of Vizag agency and along the Andhra-Odisha border (AOB) areas as the weed has now become the main revenue source for the banned outfit.
Sawang, who spoke to reporters after attending an inter-state coordination meeting which was also attended by senior police officials from Tamil Nadu, Odisha, Telangana, Kerala, and Karnataka, besides officials of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), said the rebels are collecting protection money from ganja smugglers.
"Ganja cultivation is quite prevalent in the hilly areas of AOB. As Maoists are supporting the trade, enforcement agencies are struggling to put an end to cannabis cultivation and its smuggling. Coordination with police and enforcement officials of other states is crucial and can help in controlling the ganja menace. We discussed strategies to be adopted to curb the cultivation and smuggling of ganja at the meeting," the state's top cop said.
