Cuttack: Tightening the noose around illegal drug traders, Excise Department (ED) officials seized 120 kg of ganja worth around Rs 15 lakh today from a car near a check gate at Manguli Chhak in Cuttack district.
The contraband was found inside a car when sleuths of Excise Department were checking vehicles at the check gate.
In this regard, cops have arrested two persons, including a woman. They have been identified as Kokan Bhandari and Tokiya Khatun.
The accused were carrying the cannabis in the car from Phulbani to West Bengal. The vehicle has also been seized.
Police suspect the involvement of a drug racket and investigation is on to unearth details in this regard, police sources said.
Earlier this month, cops seized 507 kgs of the contraband item from a truck near Essar Company Square in Malkangiri district. The truck was on its way to Haryana. The seized narcotic was worth over Rs 1 crore.
Hemp cultivation is going on unabated over large swathes of land in Malkangiri. The demand of ganja grown in Malkangiri is learnt to be very high in the international market.
This draws many youths from other states to collaborate with the local youths for hemp farming and smuggling. The youths here also earn hefty sum by working as informers for bigger contraband racket. The criminals from Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, with the help of local youths, plan for smuggling and robbery staying in Jeypore hotels. A few police officials, political leaders and media men help the criminals in expanding their network, it was learnt.