Bengaluru, Aug 31 (IANS): Marijuana or ganja and hashish are the most sought-after contraband drugs in the tech city, as evident from their seizure in the recent months, a police official said on Monday.

"About 320 kg of narcotics like marijuana and hashish were seized and 500 cases booked against its handlers across the city over the last eight months," city crime branch deputy commissioner of police Kuldeep Jain told IANS here.

Other banned drugs used by addicts are brown sugar, opium, charas, cocaine and MDMA (ecstasies).

The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) busted a drug racket in the city on August 26 and arrested former Kannada television actress D. Anikha and two of her accomplices, R. Ravindran and M. Anoop.

The federal agency seized a huge cache of drugs from the accused, including 145 ecstasies or MDMA pills and Rs 2.2 lakh in cash from Royal Suites Hotel Apartment in the city's northeast suburb on August 21 and more pills in a follow-up raid last week.

The drug racket is suspected of supplying recreational and party drugs to Sandalwood or Kannada film actors, children of VIPs, students and others.

"Noted musicians and actors in the Kannada film industry are under the scanner after their links to drugs came to light," a NCB official earlier said.

As the dark net was being used by drug suppliers and consumers, it was difficult to get information on where and in what quantity supply takes place.

During raids conducted even during the Covid-induced extended lockdown, about 90 papers of LSD and 550 tablets belonging to the Yaba, Restyl, Anxit and Nitrosun category of drugs were seized from drug peddlers, which include foreigners, mostly from African countries, who come to India on student visa.

A dark net is an overlay network in the Internet that can be accessed with specific software, configurations, or authorization.

"We have been waging a war on narcotics and drug peddlers, busting multiple racketeers. We have recently busted a dark net drug racket involving four youth, who were targeting pub hopping customers and seized drugs valued at Rs 1.25 crore," recalled Jain.

To reinforce the police crackdown, city's joint police commissioner Sandeep Patil urged the public to call toll free number 1908 and report on drugs and narcotics.

The city police police social media handles also reach out to the public, asking for leads in busting drug rackets.