Kohima, Feb. 21: Altogether 11 tonnes of ganja, worth nearly Rs 1 crore, was seized by Nagaland police from the outskirts of Kohima last night. The narcotics haul is said to be the biggest in the state.

The contraband was being smuggled in three trucks by 10 youth posing as Nagaland policemen. The youth, most of whom belong to the Poumai tribal area of Manipur’s Senapati district, have been arrested and remanded to police custody.

The ganja, packed in 715 packets, was being taken to Dimapur from the Tadoubi area in Senapati district. The smugglers had taken the route from Tadoubi to Chakhabhama near Kohima via Khezakhenoma and Pfütsero. The police have been watching the route since last year.

The police got suspicious when they questioned the occupants of the vehicles at the checkgate near the ATI office on the outskirts of Kohima.

The youth wore Nagaland police’s khaki uniform, complete with shoulder badges. But when asked about their unit, the men answered that they belonged to the Nagaland Armed Police (NAP) and were on a transfer to Dimapur from Pfütsero in Phek district. This raised the checking squad’s suspicions.

“They had NP on their badges instead of NAP,” sub-divisional police officer Vekhosha said. Their belts, boots and formation sign also gave them away.

The smugglers had, however, taken pains to make the operation look genuine. To mask the ganja smell, fermented bamboo was put in all the trucks. Plastic chairs and tarpaulin sheets were also put on the contraband. Then there were iron poles, usually used by police to lift the tarpaulin sheets. Here too, the accused had erred, the police said. Instead of the navy blue and red colours of Nagaland police, the accused had used a green-and-pink combination.

Police suspect that some big heads are involved as the accused “seemed to be mere villagers”. They said that the main transfer agent could have been travelling along with the convoy in a private car.

Police said the youths have not given much information so far. But they suspect that Dimapur, where the contraband was being taken to, is only the first link in a wide network.

The A-grade ganja, belonging to a person called Ase Poumai, commands a price of Rs 600 in Dimapur. Its “Pfütsero rate” is Rs 400. The Pfütsero rate for B-grade ganja is Rs 350, sources said. The international price is much higher.