Kanpur police dismantled a drug smuggling network on Tuesday, 9 June, seizing approximately six quintals of ganja valued at around ₹10 crore in the illegal market. The operation, conducted jointly by the Crime Branch and West Zone Police, intercepted a truck allegedly being used to ferry the narcotic substance through Uttar Pradesh.

How the Operation Unfolded

Acting on intelligence inputs, officers stopped the truck and recovered the entire consignment. Multiple members of the alleged smuggling network were taken into custody during the raid, according to officials. The coordinated nature of the operation — involving two separate police units — points to prior surveillance of the trafficking route.

According to officials, the seized ganja was intended for distribution not only in Kanpur but also across several neighbouring districts, suggesting an organised, multi-district supply chain.

Investigation Under Way

Investigators are now tracing the origin of the consignment and mapping the broader trafficking network. Officials believe the haul was part of a larger distribution operation, and efforts are ongoing to identify and apprehend other individuals linked to the racket. The supply chain examination is expected to yield leads on the source state from which the contraband was transported.

Part of a Wider Anti-Narcotics Push in UP

The Kanpur seizure is the latest in a string of anti-drug actions across Uttar Pradesh. Just days earlier, a joint operation by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) and the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF) in Deoria district dismantled a major ganja trafficking network, resulting in the seizure of 406.8 kilograms of ganja and the arrest of four individuals.

Separately, under the state police's ongoing anti-narcotics campaign 'Operation Dahan', approximately 13 quintals (1,300 kilograms) of ganja worth an estimated ₹6.50 crore were destroyed at a brick kiln by a joint team of Handia Police and the Narcotics Task Force. The destruction was carried out in the presence of a high-level committee after completion of the required legal formalities.

Operation Dahan: State-Wide Campaign

Officials confirmed that Operation Dahan is being conducted across the state under the direct orders of the Director General of Police, Uttar Pradesh, with the twin objectives of targeting active narcotics networks and ensuring the lawful destruction of seized contraband. The campaign signals a sustained, top-down enforcement posture rather than isolated raids.

With multiple seizures recorded within days of each other, law enforcement's focus on UP's narcotics supply routes appears to be intensifying — and investigators say the Kanpur case could open further leads into inter-district trafficking chains.