₹225-Crore Hashish Oil Syndicate Busted in Koraput; 7 Held After Amphibious Raid

Koraput: In one of the biggest anti-narcotics crackdowns in recent years, Koraput Police have busted an inter-state syndicate engaged in the large-scale illegal production of hashish oil, also known as liquid ganja, and arrested seven persons following a high-risk island operation.

The raid was conducted in a remote, forested island area inside the Jolaput Reservoir under the jurisdiction of Padwa Police Station in Koraput district, near the Odisha-Andhra Pradesh border. The difficult terrain and limited access had reportedly made the location a safe operating zone for traffickers.

Based on specific intelligence inputs, a specialised police team carried out an amphibious operation on February 26, 2026. Travelling by boats to reach the isolated island hidden within the Parajabadapada forest, the team unearthed a fully functional temporary laboratory used for the commercial-scale extraction and processing of hashish oil from cannabis plants.

Police registered FIR No. 30/2026 at Padwa Police Station under Sections 20(b)(ii)(c), 27, 29, and 21(c) of the NDPS Act.

During the operation, officers seized 1,800.5 litres of high-purity hashish oil with an estimated illegal market value of around ₹225 crore. Additionally, 1,000 kg of dry ganja (flowering and fruiting tops of cannabis plants), valued at approximately ₹5 crore, was confiscated. Officials described the seizure as one of the largest drug hauls in Odisha’s recent history.

The makeshift laboratory was found equipped with industrial machinery, including a 28 KV Honda generator, custom-modified pressure cookers fitted with pipes and connectors, metal pipes, induction heaters, storage drums, adhesives and other apparatus required for multi-stage extraction. Around 80 litres of chemicals and cleaning solvents, primarily isopropyl alcohol used in fermentation and distillation, were also recovered. Investigators seized several incriminating documents from the site.

During the initial raid, Laxman Khilla (23) of ChitalPada village under Padwa Police Station was arrested on the spot while tending to the unit. He was forwarded to judicial custody on February 27.

The alleged kingpin and several accomplices initially managed to escape into the dense forest. However, after nearly 30 hours of sustained combing operations in the rugged terrain, police apprehended six more accused who had been hiding in the jungle.

Those arrested include the alleged mastermind and main operator, Allen Jayaraj (33) from Thiruvananthapuram district in Kerala. Others held are Kiran D (33), Anand Raj (28), and Bithu B (34), all from Thiruvananthapuram. Two local logistics facilitators — Laichan Khilla (25) from Malkangiri district and Sadhu Pangi (45) from Koraput district — were also nabbed.

All the accused have been remanded or are being remanded to judicial custody. Police said further investigation is underway to verify their criminal antecedents and uncover wider interstate links.

Officials termed the operation a major success in dismantling organised drug trafficking networks operating along the Odisha-Andhra Pradesh border.