Entrepreneur arrested in Hyderabad’s Kompally for running drug network

Cyberabad police arrested entrepreneur Surya Annamaneni for operating a transnational drug network using digital payments and courier services. Cocaine and ecstasy were seized. Several Hyderabad pubs, professionals, and international peddlers are under investigation as the probe deepens

Hyderabad: In a major crackdown on narcotics trafficking and consumption among urban social circuits, the EAGLE unit of the Cyberabad Narcotics Police Station arrested a key peddler and consumer, Surya Annamaneni (34), an entrepreneur from Kompally, for drug smuggling.

Officials seized 10 grams of cocaine, 3.2 grams of OG Kush, and 1.6 grams of ecstasy pills.

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Following Surya’s arrest on Monday, a deep-rooted transnational drug network involving international suppliers, pub-based consumers, courier delivery of narcotics, and digital financial transactions was unravelled.

According to the police, the cocaine was hidden ingeniously in the heel compartment of a ladies’ chappal, packed inside a cardboard box, and sent through courier to Hyderabad from Delhi.

Surya, who earlier worked as a sales manager in Bengaluru, returned to the city in 2020 to open a restaurant.

“He soon reconnected with college and family contacts involved in drug consumption and trafficking. What began as recreational use quickly turned into an entrenched cycle of procurement, distribution, and high-volume sales,” said a police official.

Surya’s primary suppliers included both Indian contacts as well as a network of Nigerian drug traffickers operating from Delhi, Bengaluru, and Goa.

“He has been placing regular orders for cocaine and MDMA from Nigerians involved in drug peddling, and all payments were digital. The drugs were dispatched via courier services, cleverly hidden in household items. The drugs were then stored in Surya’s car or restaurant premises for onward supply to consumers,” the official said.

Surya confessed that he had purchased cocaine over 20 times between 2021 and 2025, often consuming it at upscale pubs in Hyderabad. Several of these pubs have come under scrutiny for facilitating drug consumption by allocating concealed or restricted areas for substance use.

He also confessed that he and his friends went to Goa several times and procured drugs from local peddlers.

A large number of consumers were named, including professionals, gym partners, techies, doctors, and pub directors.

The investigation is ongoing to trace the financial flow, courier channel nexus, digital footprints, and the role of pubs and commercial establishments.