Sonepur: Sonepur police Tuesday arrested five people and seized over 4.31 quintals of ganja concealed inside a 24-ton load of cashew shells being transported in a truck from Boudh district to Bihar.
The contraband, cultivated in the forest regions of Kandhamal and Boudh, was hidden in an attempt to bypass law enforcement.
The smugglers loaded the cashew shells in Berhampur and later stuffed the ganja into the consignment in Boudh, police said.
Sonepur SP Narayan Nayak said police launched an operation after receiving information that the truck was being escorted by traffickers in a car.
Also Read: Odisha will be made ganja-free, says excise minister
A team led by IIC Lingaraj Sethi and SI Debashis Sahu intercepted the truck (BR 06 GD 3222) in the Ulunda police station area. During searches, police found 13 large sacks of ganja, totalling 4.31 quintals, hidden beneath the cashew shells.
Those arrested include truck driver Rajkumar Ray, 34, of Mehesi, Bihar; helper Bikash Kumar, 19, of Madhpurhaja, Muzaffarpur, Bihar; and alleged traffickers Shankarshan Barik, 44, of Rundimahul in Kantamal, Boudh; Jagadish Bag, 30, of Nandapara in Sambalpur Town; and Parasara Thati, 22, of Dungiapadar, Boudh.
Police seized the truck, the car in which the smugglers were travelling, and the contraband. All five accused were produced in court Tuesday for remand.
SP Nayak, during a press briefing, said Shankarshan Barik has a prior case of ganja smuggling registered against him at the Bolangir Town police station.
PNN
