In one of the biggest anti-drug operations in southern Odisha, Koraput Police have seized more than 1,800 litres of hashish oil worth nearly Rs 200 crore and over two tonnes of ganja in separate raids across the district.
The biggest haul was made from a temporary manufacturing unit operating deep inside a forest near Jholaput Reservoir, close to the Odisha–Andhra Pradesh border. Acting on specific intelligence inputs, police teams launched a well-planned operation to dismantle the illegal unit.
Given the difficult terrain and remote jungle location, police personnel first reached the area by boat and then trekked through dense forest to avoid alerting those involved. Along with the hashish oil, officers seized over 1,000 kg of ganja worth around Rs 5 crore and several materials used in the manufacturing process.
Police said the masterminds behind the interstate racket have been identified and will be arrested soon.
In a separate operation under Nandpur Police Station limits, police seized 1,143 kg of ganja worth around Rs 5 crore. The contraband was concealed inside plastic trays loaded in two pickup vehicles.
Four persons have been arrested in connection with the seizure.
Two of the alleged suppliers are from Semiliguda in Koraput district and two alleged receivers from Haryana.
Speaking to NDTV, Superintendent of Police Koraput Rohit Verma said, “This operation was carried out based on specific intelligence input. Despite the difficult terrain, our teams successfully conducted the raid. We will continue such strong actions to break interstate drug networks operating from remote areas.”
Police have warned that similar operations will continue, particularly in border and forest regions, to curb drug trafficking networks operating across state lines.
With Inputs From Dev Kumar
