Bhubaneswar, May 27: Sonepur police arrested two individuals on Monday for smuggling 3.75 quintals of marijuana.

The accused, identified as Bijay Gowel and Binod Majhi from Madhya Pradesh, were caught smuggling the marijuana in a truck loaded with iron rods. Acting on a tip-off, Sonepur police intercepted the truck at Police Kunj Square and seized the contraband.

During interrogation, the suspects admitted they were transporting the marijuana to Madhya Pradesh.

In the first quarter of 2024, Odisha Police seized a record 494 quintals of marijuana and arrested 529 traffickers in 425 cases, officials reported on Tuesday. This period spans from January 1 to March 31.

The arrested traffickers include many inter-state kingpins from Maharashtra, Kerala, West Bengal, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and Odisha.

In 2023, Odisha Police seized a record 1,850 quintals of marijuana and arrested over 1,600 traffickers. This was the highest annual seizure in the last five years, representing a 37% increase compared to 2022. It is also believed to be the highest seizure by any state in the country in 2023.

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