The Odisha police continued its good run in the confiscation of marijuana stocks when smugglers carrying one tonne ganja were intercepted in Koraput on Saturday.
Acting on a tip-off, the Koraput police stopped a van carrying the ganja at the Kokriguda junction under the Semiliguda police station limits of Koraput.
“We have arrested five persons. One tonne ganja whose market value in Odisha could touch ₹1 crore was seized. We are investigating to unravel the network,” said Semiliguda Inspector-in-charge Dhiren Kumar Behera.
Going by the frequent seizures by the police, the Excise department and the special task force of crime branch, smugglers are desperate to evacuate ganja grown in the hinterland of Odisha.
Mr. Behera said he and his colleagues had succeeded in confiscating 30 quintals being smuggled out of the State in recent times.
The STF had seized 10.46 quintals (1,046 kg) at the Jeypore-Baipariguda road and arrested two drug peddlers on August 21. It claimed two big seizures — 474 kg on August 19 and 850 kg weed on July 28 in Koraput district.
The police claimed record seizure of the banned substance which would be well above 650 quintals this year. They confiscated 523.89 quintals in 2018 and 618.15 quintals in 2019.
Smugglers are trying to take advantage of the reported slowdown in patrolling caused due to the deployment of the police force in controlling the COVID-19 situation.
The Odisha government reconstituted the State-level committee of Narco Coordination Centre. The body is chaired by the Chief Secretary while the Secretaries of departments will work as its members.
Additional DGP (crime branch) and Deputy Narcotics Commissioner, Central Bureau of Narcotics, will be part of it.
The committee will take stock of enforcement of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act and operational matters at regular interval.