Bhubaneswar, Oct 13 (PTI) Odisha Police on Tuesday said it would further intensify action against drug trafficking and accelerate drive against brown sugar and ganja based on the satellite mapping data shared by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).

Director General of Police Abhay said this while addressing a press conference on the seizure of huge contraband materials. "The state police have seized a total of 1,054 quintal ganja between January and September this year," the DGP said.

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This is the highest recorded seizure by the state police in any year, Abhay said, adding that the maximum quantity of the contraband item weighing up to 413.14 quintal has been seized from Koraput district followed by Malkangiri (240.66 quintal) and Gajapati district (126.58 quintal).

While the average seizure of the last 10 years is 312 quintal, an average of 414 quintal ganja have been seized in the last five years, he said.

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This apart, the DGP said: "Odisha Police has intensified financial investigation against organised gangs behind such trafficking."

The DGP said that action against drug trafficking remains among the top priorities of the Odisha government and the state police is determined to combat drug trafficking.

The DGP said the state police for the last couple of years have been using ISROs data shared by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) to launch a crackdown on illegal cultivation of ganja and poppy.

"The satellite mapping of Poppy cultivation has been stabilised in the last 10 years for which we are able to get accurate information. As the ganja (dry cannabis) mapping is a recent one, it will take some more time to get pinpoint data. Once it is done, we will be able to carry out drives with much more accuracy," Abhay said.

On the inter-state ganja smuggling, the DGP said Odisha police has taken up the matter with the DGPs of Bihar, West Bengal, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)