Excise officials on Thursday seized ganja worth more than ` 5 lakh that was being smuggled to Cuttack city and arrested three persons including the kingpin of the racket.
Acting on a tip-off, officials of the Excise Intelligence and Enforcement Bureau intercepted an SUV on Naraj bridge over river Kathjodi early in the morning and recovered around 92 quintals of the narcotic substance.
Three persons identified as Ramakanta Nayak of Nuapatna under Tigiria police limits, Dharmananda Sahoo and the driver Bichitra Sahoo of Athgarh area were arrested.
According to officials, Ramakanta and Dharmananda were running the illicit ganja racket, supplying the contraband to several districts. They had procured the substance from Rayagada and were on their way to Cuttack where it would have been supplied to the dealers.
They had taken the bridge route instead of the Highway as it was free of traffic and mostly out of the police and excise eyes, IIC Amar Jena said.