Brahmapur excise personnel have busted a ganja smuggling racket by arresting five peddlers and seizing 514 kg of the contraband at two separate places in the city.
The arrestees were identified as Sujan Kumar Sahu (37), Rabi Narayan Sahu (23),
Karun Nayak, Suraj Kumar and Pappu Dash.
A team of excise intelligence led by Inspector Dheeran Kumar Behera intercepted a truck on Wednesday on suspicion and found 500 kg of ganja packed in 20 gunny bags during a patrolling at a place on the city outskirts. The officials seized the truck and arrested the peddlers.
Behera said that the peddlers were transporting the contraband from Gajapati to Bhubaneswar.
Similarly, another team of excise officials conducted a raid at Digapahandi Punjikanya Square and seized 14 kg of ganja. The peddlers were
held while they were on the way to smuggle the contraband to Bihar.
The market value of the seized contraband is estimated to be around Rs 26 lakh.