2 min readRaipurApr 21, 2026 05:55 AM IST
Around 5,630 kg of cannabis, collectively worth Rs 28.09 crore, has been seized in Chhattisgarh’s Mahasamund district in less than four months this year, amounting to a nearly 600% increase compared to the same period last year, when 816 kg of the substance was seized.
According to officials, Mahasamund district has been identified as a transit point to smuggle cannabis from Odisha to six other states, including Chhattisgarh. A major crackdown was undertaken this year with the aim of stopping the smuggling of drugs through this district, police said.
Inspector General of Police for Raipur range, Amresh Mishra, said, “From January to April 18 this year, we have registered 72 cases in Mahasamund, in which 187 accused have been arrested. In this, 135 accused are from other states while 52 are from Chhattisgarh. The total cannabis seized is 5,692.602 kg worth Rs 28.09 crore.”
According to a police officer from Mahasamund, the seized cannabis was being sold in packets of around 10 grams each. “The drugs would have impacted the lives of six lakh people,” the official said.
Transit hub
For a long time, Mahasamund has been one of the four transit points for the drug mafia in the smuggling of ganja to different parts of India from 11 districts in Odisha.
The smugglers would enter Mahasamund from Odisha and travel through Raipur, Durg and Rajnandgaon to smuggle drugs to different districts within Chhattisgarh, and onwards to Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh, officials said.
Apart from the Mahasamund route, smugglers also used the Sarangarh-Bilaigarh, Gariaband and Dhamtari districts to move the drugs to the above-mentioned states as well as Delhi and Gujarat.
Story continues below this ad
Police officers said smugglers would try to transport drugs hidden in secret cavities inside seats in cars or trucks, and even in vehicles’ bonnet, doors, and undercarriage.
In some cases, officials said, smugglers would travel with family or women in their efforts to evade suspicion. There is also an instance where an ambulance was used. They would also hide drugs under other cargo, such as fruits or coal, officials said.
Mahasamund Superintendent of Police Prabhat Kumar said, “Our crackdown on cannabis will continue till we completely stop the smuggling of cannabis from the district.”
