Bhubaneswar: In a major crackdown on drug smuggling, police seized over 10,852 kilograms of ganja during simultaneous raids at several places in Odisha’s Kandhamal district.
During the operation, Kandhamal police seized 6,520 kilograms of ganja from a forest near Daruogonda Ghati jungle, 1,520 kg from Phiringia’s Kasinpadar village, 2,052 kg from Sudruju village, 650 kg from Baliguda’s Jakripada jungle, and 110 kg from Tikabali’s Sunapanga village, the state police headquarters said in a statement on Friday.
Kandhamal Superintendent of Police (SP) B C Harisha led the operation against illegal activities by forming a special task force, which successfully executed raids across multiple locations. This decisive action was taken in response to an instruction from the Director General of Police Y B Khurania.
According to reports, the ganja was being smuggled from the jungles of Kandhamal district to other parts of the state. The police had received a tip-off about the smuggling operation and had been tracking the accused for several days. Police arrested one person in connection with the seizure during the raid.
It may be noted that Kandhamal police launched a special drive to wipe out ganja cultivation and smuggling in the district. The drive, which will continue till March 31, aims to completely uproot hemp cultivation in the district.
The DGP has directed the Kandhamal police to intensify the drive to put an end to ganja cultivation in the district within this timeframe.