BHUBANESWAR: The city police on Wednesday arrested five persons including three Bihar natives and
seized 120 kg ganja worth about Rs 12 lakh from their possession.
The accused Kamlesh Yadav, Sushilen Lima and Susilan Lima of Bihar and Sugyani Behera and Kumani Behera of Ganjam district were involved in the ganja trade and had stocked the contraband at a rented house in Ghatikia under Bharatpur police limits.
Acting on a tip-off, Special Squad officers and Bharatpur police conducted a raid at the house and seized the contraband.
Police said, Kamlesh and Sushilen were the masterminds of the racket and they had engaged three women - Susilan, Sugyani and Kumani to procure the ganja from Kandhamal and transport it in small quantities to Bhubaneswar by traveling in buses.
The contraband was then sold in various areas of the capital city and was transported to neighbouring Jharkhand and Bihar.
Police said the women were being provided Rs 700 to Rs 800 to transport each consignment. A Special Squad officer said a case has been registered in this connection by Bharatpur police.
"The accused claimed they were operating the illegal trade from the rented house from last few days but we have information that they were running the business here for the last one to two months. More details will be ascertained after questioning the house owner," he added.
Bhubaneswar police had seized 647.387 kg ganja, 2731.53 gram brown sugar, Rs 62,525, one car and 14 mobile phones and arrested 85 drug peddlers between January and November last year.
Similarly, 1,241.488 kg ganja, 2337.81 gram brown sugar, 5.3 kg codeine phosphate, 30 kg poppy straw, Rs 15.48 lakh, 10 cars, one truck, 70 mobile phones and 28 motorcycles were seized and 226 drug peddlers were apprehended by the police in the city in 2019.