Interstate Ganja Smuggling Racket Busted in Balangir; Cannabis Worth Over ₹1 Crore Seized

Balangir: In a major crackdown on interstate drug trafficking, the Excise Department in Odisha’s Balangir district seized ganja valued at more than ₹1 crore from a truck and arrested two alleged smugglers on Friday.

The accused have been identified as Navpreet Singh and Satnaam Singh, both of whom were driving the truck when it was intercepted by Excise officials.

According to the Excise Department, the truck was transporting nearly seven quintals of ganja, which had allegedly been concealed inside large sacks filled with maize to evade detection. Preliminary investigation suggests the consignment was being smuggled from Phulbani in Odisha to Patna, Bihar.

Officials said the vehicle’s documents indicated that it was originally meant to carry maize from Patna to Phulbani. However, during inspection, the team discovered that the truck was returning with around 12 quintals of maize along with the hidden cannabis consignment.

“The ganja packets were carefully concealed inside maize sacks. Based on the transport documents, the truck was expected to carry maize, but our search led to the recovery of approximately seven quintals of cannabis,” an Excise official said.

The two accused are currently being interrogated to ascertain the source of the narcotics, the intended recipients, and the network involved in the illegal trade.

Excise officials said the investigation is continuing to identify other individuals who may be linked to the interstate smuggling operation. Further action will be taken based on the findings of the probe.