In a joint operation, the police and the Excise Department on Thursday destroyed ganja plants grown on acres of land in Gajapati’s Mohana area.
Police sources said the market value of the destroyed cannabis plants is pegged at Rs 9 crore.
According to sources, on being informed about the ganja plantation, police, and excise department officials conducted a surprise raid on Bom village of Juka panchayat under Mohana police limits. The cops destroyed about 90,000 ganja plants cultivated on 45 acres of land. After cutting the plants, they set them on fire.
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The police and the Excise Department carry out such joint operations every year. They conduct raids and destroy cannabis plantation on hectares of land.
On October 29, the Cuttack-Bhubaneswar Commissionerate Police seized 60 kilograms of marijuana from three cars and arrested four smugglers for their alleged involvement. Similarly, during a normal checking on September 14, the Excise department seized about one quintal of marijuana from a vehicle bearing an Uttar Pradesh registration number at Gunderpur on Sambalpur-Sonepur National Highway-15.