AP, Odisha Police Join to Combat Ganja Smuggling

 Visakhapatnam: Andhra Pradesh and Odisha police held an interstate coordination meeting on Tuesday to evolve joint strategies to combat smuggling of narcotics, in particular ganja.

Inspector general of AP’s Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) led the state’s team that discussed with their Odisha counterparts the significant challenges posed by organised drug trafficking and narco-terrorism.

The discussions underscored the growing influence of powerful kingpins in the ganja trade, highlighting the urgent necessity for improved collaboration between police forces of the two states in combating the menace. The participants stressed that real-time intelligence sharing, especially among superintendents of police in border districts, is crucial for effective policing.

They wanted daily sharing of reports between Andhra Pradesh and Odisha related to Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) to improve response times in drug-related incidents. They proposed establishment of inter-district check posts to strengthen surveillance and enforcement.

Additionally, AP considered adopting Odisha's approach of attaching properties in significant NDPS cases. The meeting emphasised monitoring of suspicious financial activities, particularly micro-ATM transactions that may facilitate ganja smuggling.

To tackle the root causes of ganja cultivation, participants discussed utilising advanced technologies like satellite imagery and drones to identify cultivation sites.

Notable attendees included inspector general of police, Eluru, deputy inspector general of police, Visakhapatnam, their counterparts from Odisha, including the deputy inspector general of the Special Task Force(STF), and superintendents of police from districts of Alluri Sitarama Raju, Anakapalli, Srikakulam and Koraput.