Bhubaneswar: Odisha Police have seized a record 494 quintal ganja and arrested 529 peddlers in 425 cases in the first quarter of 2024. The first quarter falls between January 1 and March 31, said officials on Tuesday.
It is pertinent to mention that the arrested traffickers include many inter-state kingpins and masterminds and they are from Maharashtra, Kerala, West Bengal, Bihar, UP and Odisha.
In 2023, Odisha Police seized a record 1,850 quintal ganja and arrested more than 1,600 peddlers.
This was the highest seizure of contraband in a single year in the last half-decade. The seizure in 2023 was around 37 per cent more compared to 2022.
It is also believed to be the highest seizure by any state in the country in 2023.
As per statistics, the quantity of seized ganja was 618 quintals in 2019; 1,374 quintals in 2020; 1,675 quintals in 2021 and 1,177 quintals in 2022. The 1,163 cases of ganja seizure registered this year is also the highest in the last five years.
Officials said district-wise, the highest quantity of ganja, around 435 quintals was seized in Boudh, followed by 355 quintals in Malkangiri, 337 quintals in Kandhamal, 234 quintals in Gajapati and 202 quintals in Koraput in the said year.
While a total of 1,604 peddlers were arrested in 2023, the highest 1,763 arrests had been made in 2021, official sources said.
