Bhubaneswar: Odisha Police on Wednesday announced a series of measures to intensify its anti-narcotics campaign, including the formation of a dedicated Anti Narcotics Task Force (ANTF), establishment of four special NDPS courts and an annual target to take stringent action against at least 100 major drug traffickers.
The announcements were made by Director General of Police (DGP) Yogesh Bahadur Khurania while inaugurating a programme at the State Police Headquarters here as part of the National-Level Pre-Trial Drug Destruction Special Drive being conducted from June 26 to July 10 under the directions of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB).
Describing a drug-free, safe and empowered Odisha as the force’s highest priority, Khurania said the campaign against illegal drug cultivation, trafficking and organised drug networks would be further intensified in the coming months.
To ensure speedy disposal of narcotics cases, the state government has approved four special courts under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act at Bhubaneswar, Khordha, Angul and Sambalpur.
The DGP said a state-level ANTF headed by an officer of Additional Director General of Police rank would soon become operational. The force will comprise 10 field units and 19 special intelligence units across the state. Police have also set a target of taking strict legal action every year against at least 100 major drug mafia operatives and eliminating identified drug hotspots.
He said investigators would focus on tracing the masterminds and financiers behind illegal ganja cultivation and conduct financial investigations to dismantle the economic network supporting the narcotics trade.
Highlighting the achievements of the state’s anti-drug campaign, Khurania said that between July 2024 and March 2026, police destroyed more than 63,720 acres of illegal ganja cultivation, estimated to be worth about ₹1,911 crore.
During the same period, Odisha Police registered 2,445 NDPS cases, seized around 421 tonnes of ganja valued at approximately ₹2,106 crore and arrested 3,502 accused persons.
Among the major successes, Koraput police busted an illegal ganja oil manufacturing unit, seizing nearly 1,800 litres of ganja oil valued at around ₹225 crore along with ganja worth about ₹5 crore. Four key members of the racket were arrested from Kerala.
The Special Task Force (STF) also arrested two members of an inter-state drug trafficking network operating across Kandhamal, Boudh, Sonpur and neighbouring states.
Police said the anti-drug campaign has also focused on public awareness. Drug-free pledge programmes were organised in more than 550 police stations across all 35 police districts, with participation from over 25,000 citizens, 4,882 students and 337 teachers.
As part of the ongoing National-Level Pre-Trial Drug Destruction Special Drive, authorities plan to destroy around 80 tonnes of ganja, 11.4 kg of brown sugar and 3,638 bottles of cough syrup, collectively valued at about ₹410 crore, at seven authorised incineration centres in Khordha, Anugola, Baleshwar, Ganjam, Balangir, Koraput and Sundaragada districts.
Police said 36 tonnes of ganja have already been destroyed since the drive began, while the remaining seized narcotics will be disposed of in phases following due legal procedures.
The programme was attended by Additional Director General of Police (Crime Branch) Vinay Tosh Mishra, IG (Crime Branch) Dr Sarthak Sarangi, DIG (STF) Dr Kanwar Vishal Singh and other senior police officers.
