Bhubaneswar/ Dhenkanal: In a crackdown on the drug trade, the Special Task Force (STF), Bhubaneswar, seized 154 kg 380 grams of ganja and arrested one person from Dhenkanal district, officials said Saturday.
The accused, Lipu Naik (28), son of Sanatan Naik of Cheptigadia village under Hindol police limits, was taken into custody during the operation.
Acting on intelligence inputs, STF officials conducted a raid near Maa Banadurga Temple at Kansara on the outskirts of Ambhiti village under Hindol police station limits on the evening of April 24.
During the operation, the team apprehended the accused while he was allegedly smuggling the contraband in a SUV.
During the search, officials recovered 154 kg 380 grams of ganja, a mobile phone, and seized the SUV along with other incriminating materials.
The accused was arrested and produced before the court of the District & Sessions Judge-cumSpecial Judge, Dhenkanal.
A case was registered at the STF police station under Sections 20(b)(ii)(C), 25 and 29 of the NDPS Act, 1985 (STF Police station case number 09 dated April 25, 2026), officials said.