Over 1,800 Litre Cannabis Oil Worth Rs 200 Crore Seized In Odisha's Koraput

By C Santakara

Jeypore: In a major breakthrough, police seized more than 1,800 litres of cannabis oil worth over Rs 200 crores and dismantled an inter-state illegal production unit operating in a remote forest area of Odisha's Koraput district.

Police said, the illegal unit was functioning in a remote forest area near the Jalaput Reservoir under Padua police station, along the Odisha–Andhra Pradesh border in the district.

Acting on credible intelligence, a special team was formed under the leadership of Koraput Superintendent of Police following directions from DIG (Southern Range). The team raided the unit and seized more than 1,800 litre cannabis oil, a derivative of ganja, with a market value of over Rs 200 crore. Equipment and materials used in the preparation of cannabis oil were also confiscated.

The accused managed to flee the spot, and efforts are underway to apprehend them, said police.

In another development, Nandapur police intercepted two pickup vans transporting cannabis out of the state and seized 1,144 kg of the contraband, estimated to be worth over Rs 5 crore. Four persons were arrested in this connection, said Sunabeda SDPO Sumita Jena.

Koraput SP Rohit Verma said raids are still on and more arrests are likely.

Police said the ongoing crackdown across the state has forced drug traffickers to alter their methods of operation. As ganja is heavy and more likely to be detected during transportation, offenders are now processing it into oil, which is compact, easier to smuggle, and far more profitable. In the illegal market, one litre of cannabis oil can fetch nearly 25 times the price of one kilogram of ganja.

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