Andhra Pradesh, Odisha To Launch ‘Operation Samyukta’ To Decimate Border Drug Cartels
The states will also coordinate efforts to trace 712 absconding accused and execute 125 non-bailable warrants pending against Odisha-based suspects.
Visakhapatnam: Andhra Pradesh and Odisha have agreed to launch Operation Samyukta, a joint enforcement drive to curb ganja trafficking along their shared border.
At an inter-state coordination meeting, police officials from both states decided to share real-time intelligence on smuggling routes, storage hubs and hashish oil manufacturing units. Dedicated liaison officers will be appointed for each border district, and secure communication groups will be created for swift information exchange.
The states will also coordinate efforts to trace 712 absconding accused and execute 125 non-bailable warrants pending against Odisha-based suspects.
Visakhapatnam Range IG Gopinath Jetti said Andhra Pradesh has intensified its anti-narcotics operations, seizing over 55,000 kg of cannabis, registering 976 cases and arresting 2,405 persons. So far, 95 offenders have been convicted. Assets worth ₹9.19 crore were attached from 14 repeat offenders, and illegal cultivation spread over 7,500 acres has been eliminated, he said.
Police identified 112 inter-state accused, arrested 129 members of 24 gangs and placed 25 notorious Odisha-based smugglers under continuous surveillance.
Enforcement efforts were strengthened through static and dynamic checkposts. Twenty-six CCTV-equipped static checkposts registered 279 cases, leading to 775 arrests and seizure of 16,900 kg of ganja and 7.67 kg of hashish oil. Meanwhile, 345 dynamic checkposts registered 415 cases, resulting in 1,485 arrests and seizure of 38,690 kg of cannabis and 35.71 kg of hashish oil. Aerial surveillance using 33 drones identified 129 hotspots, leading to 31 cases and 111 arrests.
Alongside enforcement, the state promoted alternative livelihoods. Since July 2024, authorities have distributed 1.59 crore seedlings and 37,678 quintals of alternative crop seeds across 39,500 acres. Under the ‘Chaitanyam’ initiative, 30,000 farmers in 150 villages voluntarily gave up ganja cultivation.
Odisha officials, led by Koraput DIG Kanwar Vishal Singh, expressed interest in adopting Andhra Pradesh’s model in Koraput and neighbouring districts, with zero illegal cultivation as the goal.
