NCB seizes ganja worth ₹3cr hidden under grocery cargo in Gondia; 2 held

The accused, identified as Prakash MD and Padamlal NM, were allegedly transporting the ganja for distribution to trafficking networks operating in Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur, Gondia and Goa

MUMBAI: In an intelligence-led operation, the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) seized 702 kg of ganja worth around ₹3 crore and arrested two alleged drug traffickers in Gondia on Thursday after intercepting a truck carrying the contraband from Odisha to Maharashtra, officials said.

NCB seizes ganja worth ₹3cr hidden under grocery cargo in Gondia; 2 held

The accused, identified as Prakash MD and Padamlal NM, were allegedly transporting the ganja for distribution to trafficking networks operating in Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur, Gondia and Goa.

What appeared to be a routine consignment of grocery items like detergent, toothpaste and hair dye turned out to be a carefully engineered smuggling operation. During the search operation, the NCB recovered 100 packets of ganja hidden amid the cargo from the Maharashtra-registered truck.

The two accused were arrested under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.

According to investigators, the accused allegedly confessed during interrogation that they had sourced the contraband from Odisha and had been routinely transporting bulk consignments for Maharashtra-based drug syndicates.

NCB officials said the accused also revealed that multiple syndicates collaborated to procure ganja in large consignments instead of placing smaller individual orders.

“The consignment was to be further distributed and sold in retail to end- customers and local peddlers in multiple cities of Maharashtra and Goa, including in Mumbai,” a NCB official said.

The agency said efforts are underway to identify other traffickers and local peddlers linked to the network.

“The operation underscores NCB’s sustained efforts in dismantling organized drug syndicates and targeting habitual offenders who continue to fuel the narcotics ecosystem and the Bureau remains steadfast in its mission to safeguard public health and and uphold the vision of a ‘Nasha Mukt Bharat by 2047,” the NCB official said.

During its crackdown on drug-trafficking networks in 2025, the NCB’s Mumbai zonal unit has seized 5,560 kg of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances in 2025, including 223 kg of Cannabis or ‘Ganja’, officials said.

In a separate operation on April 11, the agency had seized 210 kg of ganja concealed beneath metal sheets in a truck intercepted in Nagpur and arrested four alleged traffickers.