Malkangiri: Police seized at least eight quintals of ganja worth more than Rs 5 crore during a raid in Phulapadar forest under Chitrakonda Badapadar village panchayat here.
A peddler, identified as Jagabandhu Khara, was also arrested in this connection Monday night.
The raid was conducted after Chitrakonda police got a tip-off on the ganja consignment which had been stored at a secluded place inside the forest late in the night.
While a police team which took part in the raid nabbed Khara from the spot, one of his aides Anantram Hantal managed to escape.
Police said the seized ganja which would cost over Rs 5 crore had been stored by the peddlers to transport to neighbouring districts.
Meanwhile, the locals have alleged the administration’s negligence in acting against drug peddlers in the district. Had the administration acted on time the peddlers might not have succeeded in cultivating ganja in such a large scale, they pointed out.
PNN
