Thanjavur court awards 20-year jail term to 3 drug peddlers

TIRUCHY: Thanjavur court on Wednesday awarded 20 years of imprisonment to three persons who attempted to smuggle 296 kg of ganja to Sri Lanka. Based on a tip-off that a huge quantity of ganja was being smuggled from Andhra Pradesh to Sri Lanka, the anti-narcotic intelligence unit on June 6, 2023, conducted a vehicle inspection at Thambikottai in Thanjavur. They arrested Muruganandam (45), Mahendran (32), and Sasikumar (23), all from Muthupettai, with 296 kg of ganja in 135 bags. The case was in progress with the Thanjavur Additional Sessions court. On Wednesday, Judge G Sundararajan awarded 20 years of imprisonment to the accused and imposed a fine of Rs 2 lakh each.