The Odisha police seized around 3,000 kilogram of marijuana from four vehicles in Badagada police station area in Ganjam district on Thursday while it was being smuggled out from the adjoining Gajapati district.
According to Ganjam Superintendent of Police Brijesh Kumar Rai, four persons from Adava police station area in Gajapati were arrested for smuggling the contraband. The four vehicles, weighing around three tons, included two mini-trucks, a car and an SUV (Bolero).
The seized ganja is suspected to have been procured from remote areas of Gajapati district. The consignment was on its way to Berhampur, from where it would have been transported to different parts of Odisha and other States. Based on intelligence reports, police personnel intercepted the four vehicles on the outskirts of Badagada town.
Reportedly, marijuana is cultivated illegally in remote areas of Gajapati district. According to sources, smugglers procure the narcotic at around ₹1,000 per kilogram, while its rate increases to around ₹10,000 per kilogram outside the State.
