Operation Black Smoke: Drug traffickers nabbed with over 1 quintal cannabis in Bhubaneswar

Bhubaneswar: The Commissionerate Police nabbed two drug traffickers following a chase on NH 16 with more than one quintal cannabis. The traffickers were smuggling a consignment of cannabis from Odisha’s Phulbani to Jharkhand, the police said.

Police Commissioner of Bhubaneswar-Cuttack Sanjeeb Panda informed that the Special Crime Unit (SCU) swung into action on Monday after receiving a tip-off on the smuggling and had stationed three teams in between Pitapalli and Janla on the national highway 16.

On spotting the cops at Pitapalli square, the traffickers attempted to flee. However, their vehicle was intercepted on Janla flyover by the SCU’s backup team. The police recovered 112 kg cannabis from their possession along with two high-end mobile phones.

The two belong to Kandhamal and were transporting the contraband to Jharkhand. They have been arrested and the vehicle used in the crime has been seized, Panda said.

The police has launched an investigation to ascertain if drug trafficker-duo is a part of an inter-state sluggling racket.