Bhubaneswar/Dhenkanal: Cracking down on the drug trade, the Special Task Force (STF) in Bhubaneswar seized 154 kg 380 grams of marijuana and arrested one person in Dhenkanal district, officials said on Saturday.
The accused, Lipu Naik (28), son of Sanatan Naik, a resident of Cheptigadiya village under Hindol police station limits, was detained during the operation. Based on intelligence, STF officials raided near the Maa Bandurga Temple in Kansara, on the outskirts of Ambhiti village under Hindol police station limits, on the evening of April 24.
During the operation, the team apprehended the accused while he was allegedly smuggling contraband in an SUV.
During the search, officials recovered 154 kg 380 grams of marijuana, a mobile phone, and confiscated the SUV as well as other incriminating material.
The accused was arrested and produced before the District and Sessions Judge-cum-Special Judge, Dhenkanal.
Officials said a case was registered at the STF police station under sections 20(b)(ii)(C), 25 and 29 of the NDPS Act, 1985 (STF Police Station Case No. 09, dated April 25, 2026).
