Koraput: Police today arrested the kingpin of a ganja smuggling racket from Jeypore in the district. The racket is reportedly spread across nine states.
Acting on a tip-off, the 48-year-old man was arrested from his relative's house in Jeypore, police sources said.
"After eight months of search, we arrested the accused basing on a tip off. He was in our wanted list since long. Kingpin of a ganja smuggling racket, he operates a well-organised inter-state gang of ganja smugglers and is in this trade for past 25 years," said SP Kanwar Vishal Singh.
Police also seized a car, three mobile phones and Rs 7.2 lakh from the person during his arrest, he added.
As per sources, the kingpin's network is spread across Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Telangana, Jharkhand, West Bengal and Odisha.