In a major blow to interstate narcotics trafficking, the Special Task Force (STF), CID-CB, Odisha, has busted a sophisticated cannabis smuggling racket, seizing a staggering 497 kilograms of ganja valued at approximately ₹2.5 crore.
Acting on precise intelligence, an STF team intercepted a TATA Motors goods carrier truck (Registration No. UP81ET0981) near Pitapalli under the Infovalley Police Station limits. A thorough search conducted under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, revealed the contraband cleverly concealed beneath bags of rice — a unique modus operandi designed to evade detection while the consignment moved toward its destination.
The driver-cum-owner of the vehicle, Raju, son of Prem Chandra, a resident of Village Chaman Nagaria, P.O. Gohmat, P.S. Kher, District Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, has been detained.
Preliminary investigation indicates that the ganja was procured from Gajapati district in Odisha, loaded at Berhampur, and was being transported to Delhi. Along with the 497 kg of commercial-quantity ganja, the truck, mobile phones, and other incriminating articles were seized.
A case has been registered under relevant provisions of the NDPS Act, and investigation is underway. STF teams are now set to travel to Uttar Pradesh and New Delhi to identify suppliers, transport facilitators, intended recipients, financiers, and other members of the syndicate. The force aims to establish both forward and backward linkages, trace the financial trail, and dismantle the entire interstate network.
The accused will be produced before the jurisdictional magistrate after completion of legal formalities. The STF may also seek custodial interrogation to unearth the larger conspiracy.
This success marks yet another breakthrough in Odisha’s sustained “NashaMuktOdisha” drive against narcotics, underscoring the STF’s relentless efforts to curb the flow of illegal drugs across state borders.
