KOTTAYAM: Men who tried to smuggle 65 kg ganja by hiding it under school text books have been remanded in judicial custody.

The Excise has got the information that ganja was brought in to Kerala from Andhra. The plan was to handover the contraband to a big ganja lobby in Ettumanoor.

The Excise has also got details about the lobby. He has gone underground. Lorry driver Kallara Puthiya Kalludamayil Athul (29) and lorry owner Mulavattom Thekkekuttikattil Ananthu (25) are the persons remanded.

Ettumanoor Excise Enforcement Squad caught them while they were parking their lorry at Ettumanoor Parolikkal bent on MC Road to hand over ganja.

Ganja was brought to Bengaluru from Andhra in a lorry loaded with plantain bunches.

The ganja was transferred to Anathu’s lorry at Bengaluru. 32 packets of ganja were put under school textbooks.

Initially, the driver was told that the destination would be Kochi Edapally but when the lorry reached Angamaly, he got the message to go to Ettumanoor.

The Excise revealed that more people are involved in the ganja smuggling. The driver was offered a reward of Rs 50,000.