Amid record ganja hauls, Odisha police struggle to trace patrons

BHUBANESWAR: The state has traditionally been a hotbed of ganja cultivation and witnessed record seizures of the narcotic drug every year. But the state police have for decades failed to trace the promoters behind the cannabis cultivation and trafficking.
Police so far managed to arrest only the peddlers and carriers of the consignments, which were seized in different districts. “We are on the job of identifying the brains and organized gangs behind the ganja trafficking. Financial investigation is also being made against them. It is in the early stage,” director general of police Abhay said on the sidelines of sharing achievements of his personnel in busting cannabis rackets in the state.
Abhay did not disclose anything about the persons, who have been extending patronage to the flourishing ganja trade and drug trafficking in the state for years. Police have been suspecting Maoists as key patrons behind the ganja cultivation.
The DGP heaped praise on the state police, including the special task force (STF) of the Crime Branch for having made significant ganja hauls this year. Abhay said in the first nine months alone, the state police had already seized around 1054 quintal ganja, which is a record seizure in the last ten years. A total of 618 quintal and 523 quintal ganja were seized in the state in 2019 and 2018, respectively. Police said only 73 quintal ganja was seized in 2010.
“Average seizure of ganja in the past ten years was around 312 quintal. And the average seizure of the drug was nearly 414 in the last five years. Major seizures were made this year in Koraput (413.14 quintal), Malkangiri (240.66 quintal) and Gajapati (126.58 quintal) districts. Special appreciation letters have been given to each of the district SPs,” Abhay said.
Abhay said he attended a virtual meeting with the DGPs of neighbouring West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand on Monday for better coordination and sharing of intelligence inputs about interstate drug smugglers. Each of the states would engage a nodal officer for smooth interstate coordination.
Police sources said joint squads of police, excise and forest departments destroyed ganja crops worth nearly Rs 1.4 crore on 11,627 acres (private and forest land) in different districts in 2018-19. Boudh, Kandhamal, Gajapati, Rayagada, Malkangiri, Koraput, Deogarh, Angul, Sambalpur and Nayagarh witnessed rampant cultivation.
Police said they have been receiving satellite imagery shared by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) with the narcotics control bureau to trace ganja plants for destruction. Besides, the Odisha Space Applications Centre (ORSAC) too helps the police in identifying the areas where 'ganja' is cultivated. Cops said they continued to face difficulties in reaching the inaccessible areas where ganja was cultivated.
“Ganja cultivators and traffickers would not have thrived without the support of some corrupt government officers. The enforcement squads should probe the suspected complicity of government officials, police, excise, local representatives, village or panchayat committees in the illegal trade. Nexus of some government employees and police with the mafia was already established following their arrests in the recent past,” said P K Pattnaik, a retired police officer.