Bhubaneswar: In a major breakthrough against narcotics, Odisha Police has reported a historic success in its anti-drug campaign, destroying illegal cannabis cultivation and seizing drugs worth thousands of crores over the past 14 months.
According to an official press note issued Friday by the State Police Headquarters, between January 1, 2025 and February 28, 2026, authorities have destroyed illegal cannabis cultivation worth approximately Rs 1,444 crore across 48,160 acres of land.
Additionally, cannabis worth Rs 1,346 crore was seized, along with 1,862 litre of cannabis oil valued at around Rs 200 crore. Police also confiscated brown sugar worth Rs 41.7 crore and cough syrup valued at Rs 10.17 crore, while arresting 654 interstate drug traffickers during the period. The campaign aligns with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of a ‘Drug-Free India’ and the 15-point action plan laid out by Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
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Under the leadership of Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, the state police intensified its crackdown, leading to what officials describe as an ‘unprecedented achievement’. Addressing a presser at Police Bhavan here Friday, Director General of Police Yogesh Bahadur Khurania said that a well-coordinated strategy has significantly weakened drug mafia networks across the state. During the period, A total of 2,69,166 kg of cannabis was seized, with over 2,300 arrests linked to these cases. Brown sugar seizures stood at 20.69 kg, leading to 910 arrests across 445 cases.
Over 1,01,755 bottles of illegal cough syrup were confiscated, with 236 arrests. In a recent operation, Koraput police busted a major hashish oil manufacturing unit, seizing over 1,800 litres of cannabis oil worth nearly Rs 200 crore and more than 1,000 kg of cannabis. Seven individuals, including four from Kerala, were arrested, and the unit was dismantled. Authorities noted that illegal cannabis cultivation was largely concentrated in Naxal-affected regions, where it served as a source of funding for extremist activities.
However, sustained police action has reduced Naxal presence from 12 districts to just 2 to 3 districts. Gajapati, Rayagada, and Koraput have witnessed nearly a 50 per cent decline in cannabis cultivation. The DGP announced that a new statewide special campaign will be launched from April 1, aiming to completely eradicate cannabis and other narcotics from Odisha within the next three years. To dismantle the financial backbone of drug networks, properties worth over Rs 10 crore have been seized. Strict legal provisions, including the PITNDPS Act, are being invoked against habitual offenders, with proposals submitted for preventive detention in multiple cases. Alongside enforcement, Odisha Police is focusing on rehabilitation and awareness.
Currently, 52 de-addiction centres are operational across 29 districts, helping individuals recover and reintegrate into society. So far, 19,395 persons have successfully overcome addiction.
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