MUMBAI: In a high-impact crackdown stretching across state borders, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has seized 1,251 kg of cannabis (ganja) valued at ₹6.15 crore, and arrested four operatives, including a key mastermind who had been absconding in an earlier narcotics case.
The twin operations, carried out by the Nagpur regional unit of the DRI’s Mumbai zone, struck at the heart of a well-organised drug trafficking network operating along the Odisha–central India corridor.
Acting on specific intelligence, DRI officers intercepted a pick-up vehicle travelling along National Highway 53 between Sunday and Monday. The vehicle was moving from the Odisha–Andhra Pradesh border towards the Madhya Pradesh–Rajasthan border—an arterial route linking Odisha to Gujarat through Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra.
What appeared to be a routine consignment of raw ginger turned out to be a carefully engineered smuggling operation.
A search of the vehicle led to the recovery of 53 gunny bags containing 142 tightly packed parcels of cannabis, weighing 729 kg and valued at ₹3.64 crore. The narcotics had been concealed within the ginger cargo in an apparent bid to evade detection during transit.
The contraband, along with the vehicle and the cover cargo, was seized under provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. Two individuals were arrested in this operation, including the alleged mastermind of the trafficking network, who had been absconding in connection with an earlier narcotics case.
This was the second major blow to the syndicate within days.
Earlier, on January 10–11, DRI officers had intercepted a truck at a toll plaza in Nagpur district. Hidden beneath consignments of electronic goods—coolers and table fans—and blankets were 100 packages of cannabis weighing 522 kg, worth ₹2.61 crore.
The method of concealment suggested a deliberate attempt to camouflage the narcotics within high-volume, legitimate commercial cargo, officials said. Two persons were arrested in that operation as well.
Officials described the seizures as part of a sustained offensive against organised narcotics networks exploiting interstate highways for bulk transportation. “These back-to-back operations demonstrate DRI’s continued and focused enforcement against organised drug trafficking syndicates operating across state borders,” a DRI officer said.