Visakhapatnam:  Andhra Pradesh police destroyed more than two lakh kilograms of ganja (cannabis) valued at Rs 500 crore on Saturday. Director General of Police D Gautam Sawang lit one of the heaps of seized ganja to formally launch the event that was organized in an open area at Koduru village in Anakapalli Mandal.

The dried ganja was set afire at an event organized on a massive scale by the police Visakhapatnam district. AP Police and SEB Visakhapatnam district conducted the event. The authorities pitched fancy tents and deployed drone cameras, speakers and sound systems for the well organized programme. Personnel from the SDRF and fire services department were deployed besides a large number of policemen.

Print and electronic media were also invited to cover the event. This is said to be the largest quantity of drugs destroyed anywhere in the country in one go. The ganja was seized in North Andhra districts of Visakhapatnam, Vizianagaram and Srikakulam and East Godavari during the last two years at various places. According to police sources, the ganja was seized under operation Parivartan.

The police registered 1,363 cases and arrested 1,500 accused including 562 from other states. As part of the operation, the police also destroyed cannabis plants spread over 8,500 acres in the region during the last 15 months. The Andhra-Odisha border area is notorious for large-scale ganja cultivation.