Kandhamala police arrest 11 people after seizing 750 kg ganja
The contraband, valued at approximately Rs 75 lakh, was reportedly intended for smuggling to Madhya Pradesh via railway networks.
Kandhamala police arrested 11 individuals and seized 750 kg of ganja during an anti-narcotics operation in the Gochhapada police station area, according to Pragativadi.
The raid was conducted following information received on November 3 about illegal cannabis storage and cultivation near forest streams in the Katringia and Salaguda panchayats.
A joint enforcement team, including DSP Sunil Arun Kumar Nayak, SDPO Subhrajit Biswal, and Inspector Subhrajit Samantaray, carried out the search in the presence of an executive magistrate.
Officers recovered the contraband, which was packed in 25 plastic sacks, and valued the seizure at approximately Rs 75 lakh.
Preliminary investigations suggest the drugs were to be smuggled to Madhya Pradesh through the neighbouring Boudh district using railway networks.
The team also used drone surveillance to identify and destroy illegal cannabis crops across nearly 25 acres of forest land. A case has been registered at Gochhapada Police Station under the NDPS Act, 1985.