Odisha Police destroy drugs worth ₹569 crore in statewide crackdown

Odisha Police have destroyed narcotics worth nearly ₹569 crore, including a staggering 108.9 metric tonnes of cannabis (locally known as ganja) and over 12 kg of brown sugar, in a major statewide drug disposal drive.

The 39-day special drive for the disposal of pre-trial narcotic drugs, conducted from June 2 to July 10, saw 108,904.9 kg of ganja, valued at an estimated ₹544.52 crore, destroyed across the state under the Nisha Mukta Odisha Abhiyan, police said in a statement on Friday.

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Another 12.398 kg of brown sugar, valued at around ₹24.80 crore, and 3,631 bottles of cough syrup were also destroyed during the campaign, taking the estimated value of the narcotics disposed of to nearly ₹569 crore.

The operation was coordinated by the Special Task Force (STF) of the CID-Crime Branch under the supervision of Odisha Director General of Police Yogesh Bahadur Khurania.

Police districts and specialised units had initially identified 78,600.383 kg of seized ganja for destruction. However, the final quantity exceeded 108.9 tonnes, surpassing the initial target by more than 30 tonnes.

Police said the drive was aimed at expediting the disposal of seized narcotics linked to long-pending cases registered under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.

Boudh Police topped the state by destroying 37,484.885 kg of ganja, followed by Kandhamal with 34,245.430 kg and Malkangiri with 8,969.940 kg. Gajapati accounted for 6,671 kg, Koraput 6,155.773 kg and Rayagada 5,796.70 kg.

Several other police districts and specialised units, including the STF and the Government Railway Police, also participated in the exercise.

Of the brown sugar destroyed, Balasore Police accounted for 11.293 kg, while the STF disposed of 1.09 kg and Keonjhar Police destroyed 15.85 grams. Bargarh Police destroyed 3,631 bottles of seized cough syrup.

The disposal exercise formed part of Odisha Police’s broader anti-narcotics campaign. More than 25,000 people took an anti-drug pledge during a statewide programme on July 1.

DGP Khurania said the crackdown on the illegal drug trade, trafficking and narcotics mafias would be intensified further.