Bhubaneswar: Boudh police have identified potential links between drug syndicates in Chhattisgarh and local ganja cultivation, with a dedicated team formed to dismantle the network. The links were uncovered following the arrest of 24 men from a forest under Boudh’s Kantamal police station limits on Monday.
Police reports suggest that some individuals from Chhattisgarh have been providing financial support to locals in Boudh district for ganja cultivation.
“During a routine anti-Maoist search operation in Matakupa forest, joint teams of Boudh police and Border Security Force personnel found ganja being transported illegally. We seized 672 kg of ganja and arrested 24 men, who included ganja cultivators and traffickers from different areas of Boudh district. Our efforts are on to arrest the promoters who are suspected to be from Chhattisgarh,” SP (Boudh), Nagaraj Devarakonda, told TOI.
Police officers said the arrested individuals have no connections with Maoists, who are considered the primary supporters of ganja cultivation in the state. Section 20 of the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act stipulates that cannabis cultivation is punishable by up to 10 years in prison and fines up to Rs 1 lakh.
Devarakonda said a significant volume of ganja has been seized in Boudh district since Dec 2024. “This month alone we have seized about 9,000 kg of ganja. Over 14,000 kg of ganja has been seized in the last three months. Over 9,500 acres of ganja plantation have been destroyed during the period,” Devarakonda said.
Odisha police initiated a state-wide enforcement campaign against ganja cultivation in Nov 2024. During the 2024-25 harvesting season, authorities destroyed 1,77,97,837 cannabis plants across 15,422 acres in Kandhamal, Boudh, Gajapati, Malkangiri, Koraput, Rayagada, Ganjam and Nabarangpur districts from Nov 1 to Dec 31 last year.
Police sources said the value of destroyed ganja plants is estimated to be between Rs 1.4 and Rs 1.5 lakh per acre. Raw ganja commands black market prices between Rs 50,000 and Rs 2 lakh per kg in other states, based on quality. Cultivators in Odisha receive merely Rs 3,000 to Rs 5,000 per kg from smugglers, the sources said.