256kg cannabis covered with PPE seized from COVID-19 ambulance

Police seized over 256 kg of cannabis from an ambulance carrying Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for health workers engaged in COVID-19 facilities in Odisha's Ganjam district, police said.

The vehicle was intercepted near Budhamba in the Kabisurya Nagar police station area on Sunday and two persons were arrested, they said.

The cannabis, worth around Rs 12 lakh, was packed in 14 bags and covered with PPE, police said.

The ambulance was stopped as it was using the siren despite not having any patient inside, said inspector in- charge Prabhat Sahoo.

"When we intercepted the COVID-19 ambulance, the driver tried to flee with the vehicle. During a search, we found that the ambulance was transporting cannabis instead of patients," he said.

The accused have been identified as Sunil Mishra of Potangi in Koraput district, and Gopal Karan of Bada Agula near Kabisurya Nagar, police said.

A preliminary inquiry has revealed that the cannabis was being transported from Digapahandi to Kodala area, they said.

Further inquiry in the matter is underway, the officer said.

Police said smugglers have adopted new ways for transporting cannabis as crackdown on smuggling continues with checking of vehicles in Ganjam and its neighboring Gajapati and Kandhamal districts where the illegal crops are grown. 

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