A UP Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) operation on Sunday uncovered what investigators suspect is a layered drug-trafficking network that used a Thailand supply link, local couriers and SUVs to move premium hydroponic cannabis into the domestic market. One of the arrested men allegedly told investigators that he entered the trade while still a student to fund his personal expenses, senior police officials said in a press note issued in Lucknow.A case has been registered at Knowledge Park police station under sections 8, 20 and 60 of the NDPS Act. Investigators are now examining the racket’s supply chain, financing trail and local distribution network, officials said. (For representation)Four alleged traffickers were arrested near Knowledge Park in Gautam Buddh Nagar, and 3.650 kg of OG/THC hydroponic cannabis buds—an expensive form of cannabis valued at around ₹3.65 crore in the illegal market—was seized, according to the ANTF. The agency also recovered a Mahindra Thar Roxx, a Scorpio, ₹4,00,500 in cash, four iPhones, an Android handset, and identity and banking documents.A case has been registered at Knowledge Park police station under sections 8, 20 and 60 of the NDPS Act. Investigators are now examining the racket’s supply chain, financing trail and local distribution network, officials said.During interrogation, investigators said one of the accused, Pranay Pushp, claimed he began selling cannabis while studying to meet personal expenses. He allegedly came into contact with Yuvraj Chaudhary and Shashank Shahi, who, along with another associate, Rohan Chaudhary, were involved in procuring and distributing premium narcotic substances.According to the ANTF, the group’s access to hydroponic cannabis may have been facilitated through a Thailand connection. Officers found that members of Shashank’s family live in Thailand and that he travelled there frequently, a detail now being examined as a possible procurement route. Investigators suspect the contraband was sourced through foreign links, brought into the network through trusted handlers and distributed among local associates for onward sale.Investigators believe Pranay functioned as a downstream receiver and seller within the network. He allegedly told interrogators that he procured the contraband from the other accused and sold it onwards. On the day of the arrest, he had reportedly arrived in a Mahindra Thar to collect a consignment when ANTF personnel intercepted the group before the delivery could take place.That detail has led investigators to suspect a pickup-and-redistribution model rather than isolated possession. In such an arrangement, one set of accused handles sourcing and transportation while another receives the narcotic consignment for further supply to local buyers, creating layers between the original source and the street-level market. The use of two SUVs is also being examined as part of the alleged operating method, with investigators suspecting that the vehicles were used to transport and exchange the contraband while allowing the accused to move across districts without attracting immediate suspicion.Investigators said the seizure of 3.650 kg of OG/THC buds worth around ₹3.65 crore suggests the accused were allegedly dealing in a niche but lucrative market catering to high-paying consumers rather than operating merely as small-time peddlers. The recovery of ₹4 lakh in cash, multiple smartphones and debit cards has further strengthened suspicion that the network had a structured system for communication, collection and movement of proceeds.The interrogation of the four accused has yielded what officials described as useful and actionable leads, prompting the ANTF to pursue both forward and backward linkages of the racket. Investigators are trying to establish who sourced the hydroponic cannabis, how it was brought into the state, where it was stored, who financed the consignments, and to whom the seized stock was meant to be delivered.The arrested accused have been identified as Pranay Pushp, Yuvraj Chaudhary and Shashank Shahi and Rohan Chaudhary. The four were arrested from the cut leading from Noida towards the Yamuna Expressway under the limits of Knowledge Park police station in Gautam Buddh Nagar commissionerate.Officials said the probe is ongoing and more arrests are possible as investigators examine the network’s foreign and domestic links.