Hyderabad: Police discover ganja milkshake powder racket

Following the arrest of a father and his two sons on April 15 on suspicion of selling ganja chocolates and ganja powder via their business in Jagathgirigutta, police have discovered a new way that cannabis is consumed: ganja milkshakes.

As you may remember, police raided Jayasri Traders, a business offering puja materials, and discovered that Manoj Kumar Agarwal, the main accused, and his two sons, Nitish Kumar Agarwal and Murari Kumar Agarwal, were selling ganja to Hyderabad customers. 160 packets of ganja chocolates and 4 kg of ganja powder had been taken by them. A West Bengali cousin of Manoj, who sold chocolates loaded with ganja, persuaded the three to start selling cannabis.

Typically, some ganja would crack and turn into powder while being transported and distributed. Usually offered for less money, the “choora” powder is used for smoking. But the three made an agreement with an Indore-based company to use the choora to make milkshake powder, which they would then package and sell to low-income customers.

Police discovered that the defendant was previously receiving ganja—including milkshake powder—sequestered in kumkum containers. To further investigate the case and capture the Indore-based maker, the police turned to the Telangana State-Anti Narcotics Bureau (TS-NAB).

A senior police officer, however, said that this choora-based milkshake ingredient is only a profitable business venture since users would seldom get a “high” from the powder.

The main psychoactive ingredient in cannabis, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), is largely concentrated one foot down the stem of a cannabis plant, which grows to a height of five to seven feet. The buds at the top of the plant are more expensive than the remainder of the plant, which is usually used to produce or extract powder. As a result, customers get a comparatively moderate high. Customers must thus realize that selling choora is only a money-making ruse and does not really provide a cloud-nine experience. Ganja use should be avoided, the officer said.