The three persons arrested for selling ganja and the contraband found on them, at Kadamkuan police station on Sunday. Picture by Ranjeet Kumar Dey

Patna, Feb. 19: Three persons were arrested and more than 100kg marijuana recovered from them in the state capital today after Kadamkuan police received a tip-off about the trio.

The arrested persons have been identified as Mussalpur Chaitola resident Amarnath Mahto and his two sons, Bablu and Birju.

Kadamkaun police station house officer Jyoti Prakash told The Telegraph: “Based on the tip-off that Amarnath Mahto, along with his two sons, was running a ganja (marijuana) business, we raided his house (at Mussalpur Chaitola in the Kadamkuan area) and arrested the trio. We also recovered 125kg of contraband.”

The police also recovered one-and-half kg dry substance in the raid.

Policemen said that prima facie, it appeared that dry substance was also some contraband but its exact nature would be ascertained only after investigation.

Prakash said the seized substance was valued at more than Rs 25 lakh in the international market. In Indian markets, its price would be a little less.

Police said Amarnath Mahto and his sons had been operating the contraband business for the past five years. “As their house is located in a deserted area, they could carry on the business discretely without attracting undue attention,” said a police officer.

The trio used to supply the contraband to various agents and betel shops, from where it would reach the customers. “Mahto would supply ganja only to people who knew him well. To buy contraband from him, clients would need the reference of his associates,” said the officer.

Sources said though the city police claim to have nabbed drug peddlers time and again and recovered huge cache of contraband substance, accessing drugs in the state capital is almost child’s play.

A number of betel shops and small tea stall sell ganja.

Sources said marijuana is supplied to Patna mainly from North Bihar areas like Hajipur, Ara, Siwan and also from Nepal.

Schoolchildren are soft targets for drug peddlers. “They are sold special cigarettes — stuffed with contraband. They love the aroma and get addicted to it,” said a source.

There has also been a steady rise in the number of youngsters, aged 16 and 21, who are addicted to ganja. “It is the most popular addiction after alcohol,” claimed police.