City crime branch (CCB) police seized nearly 52 kg of ganja worth Rs 10.50 lakh and arrested a man from Kerala near here today.
City police commissioner Chandra Sekhar said the arrested was Moideen Nawaz (29), a resident of Uppala in Kerala's Kasaragod district.
Nawaz was peddling large quantities of ganja in Mangaluru and Kasaragod district.
The police also seized a car bearing Kerala registration.
Based on a tip-off, the CCB police chased and arrested Nawaz near Natekal cross.
They seized 51.7 kg of ganja which was in the car in two gunny bags, which was being transported from Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh for distribution in Mangaluruand Kasargod regions.
The total value of the seized items, including the car, is estimated at Rs 20.5 lakh, the PoliceCommissioner said.
"This is the biggest drugs catch by our policein recent times," he said.
The accused was earlier working in Dubai. He had come back last yearafter he lost his job and had no previous record of crime, he said.
Asked if Nawaz was part of a network of drug dealers, he said it would be revealed only after a thorough probe.
