Bengaluru’s Central Crime Branch announced on June 16, 2026, the arrest of 23 individuals following an operation that dismantled a drug distribution network operating across the city, with seized narcotics and contraband tobacco valued at approximately Rs 8 crore.
Among those detained were two foreign nationals, whose identities and countries of origin were not immediately disclosed by police. Officers said the operation followed several weeks of surveillance and intelligence coordination targeting multiple distribution points across Bengaluru’s northern and eastern zones.
The recovered material included controlled substances and contraband tobacco products, with investigators describing both as moving through a shared financing and logistics structure. Authorities indicated the tobacco segment was not incidental but part of the same supply network used to distribute the narcotics.
All 23 detainees were produced before a judicial magistrate and remanded to custody pending further investigation. The CCB said additional arrests were possible as the probe expanded to identify upstream suppliers and financial backers linked to the operation.
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Sources:
https://theprint.in/india/drug-racket-busted-in-bengaluru-23-people-held-with-banned-narcotic-tobacco-products-worth-rs-8-cr/2961289/