Surat court jails 3 men 10 years for 562 kg ganja trafficking from Odisha
Synopsis
Five years after a 562-kg ganja haul at a Surat industrial site, three men from Odisha's Ganjam district have been handed 10-year prison terms. The NCB conviction underlines the bureau's push to break inter-state narcotics supply chains — and highlights how long commercial-quantity NDPS trials can take even in high-seizure cases.
Key Takeaways
A special NDPS Court in Surat sentenced Kalu Charan Behra , Sudhir Kumar Swain , and Mithun Pradhan to 10 years' rigorous imprisonment each on 2 July 2025 .
The trio was convicted for trafficking 562.55 kg of ganja from Odisha to Gujarat in May 2020 .
Each convict was also fined ₹1 lakh by the 11th Additional District Judge, Surat City .
The NCB Ahmedabad Zonal Unit intercepted the accused at Krishna Industry, Kim area, Surat on specific intelligence.
The case was registered under Sections 8(c), 20(b)(ii)(C) and 29 of the NDPS Act, 1985 .
A special Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Court in Surat sentenced three men to 10 years' rigorous imprisonment each on 2 July 2025, after convicting them in a major ganja trafficking case involving the seizure of 562.55 kg of the narcotic. The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) confirmed the verdict on Friday, describing it as a significant strike against inter-state drug supply networks.
How the Operation Unfolded
The case traces back to a targeted operation conducted on 4 and 5 May 2020, when NCB officers from the Ahmedabad Zonal Unit, acting on specific intelligence, intercepted three individuals at Krishna Industry in the Kim area of Surat. The accused had allegedly transported the contraband illegally from Odisha to Gujarat, with the ganja recovered from their conscious possession at the time of arrest.
Investigators established that the accused were part of a well-organised criminal conspiracy to move a commercial quantity of ganja across state lines for illicit sale. A case was registered under Sections 8(c), 20(b)(ii)(C) and 29 of the NDPS Act, 1985, and the NCB filed a formal complaint before the Special NDPS Court in Surat City in October 2020.
Who Was Convicted
The three convicted men were identified as Kalu Charan Behra, a resident of Bilipara, Phasi, Kodala in Ganjam district, Odisha; Sudhir Kumar Swain, a resident of Makrapoli, Gangapur, also in Ganjam district; and Mithun Pradhan, a resident of Bartulu, Jamuni, Ganjam district. All three hail from the same district in Odisha, pointing to a localised trafficking network that allegedly used inter-state transport routes to move narcotics westward into Gujarat.
Sentence and Fine
The 11th Additional District Judge, Surat City, sentenced each convict to 10 years' rigorous imprisonment and imposed a fine of ₹1 lakh on each. The NCB noted that the seized contraband had already been disposed of on a pre-trial basis in accordance with prescribed legal procedure.
NCB's Stand on Drug Trafficking
In an official statement, the NCB said, 'This conviction reinforces NCB's commitment to dismantling drug supply chains and ensures that those exploiting inter-state transport channels for narcotics trafficking face the full force of the law.' The agency also reiterated its support for the national goal of a Drug-Free India (Nasha Mukt Bharat) and urged citizens to report drug trafficking information through the MANAS National Narcotics Helpline, assuring that informant identities would be kept strictly confidential.
Notably, the case took nearly five years from arrest to conviction — a timeline that reflects the pace of NDPS trials in India, even as courts and enforcement agencies push for faster resolution in commercial-quantity drug cases.
Point of View
But a five-year gap between seizure and sentencing raises legitimate questions about the pace of NDPS adjudication in India. Commercial-quantity drug cases are meant to carry deterrent sentences precisely because the trafficking volumes are large — yet delayed trials blunt that deterrence. All three convicts originate from the same district in Odisha, suggesting the NCB may have broken one node of a larger network rather than the network itself. Whether the agency has pursued the supply-side origins of the 562-kg consignment remains publicly unaddressed.
NationPress
4 Jul 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What was the Surat ganja trafficking case about?
Three men from Odisha's Ganjam district were arrested in May 2020 after the NCB seized 562.55 kg of ganja from their possession at Krishna Industry in Surat's Kim area. They had allegedly transported the narcotic illegally from Odisha to Gujarat for illicit sale.
What sentence did the Surat NDPS court hand down?
The 11th Additional District Judge, Surat City, sentenced each of the three convicts — Kalu Charan Behra, Sudhir Kumar Swain, and Mithun Pradhan — to 10 years' rigorous imprisonment and a fine of ₹1 lakh each on 2 July 2025.
Under which laws were the accused charged?
The case was registered under Sections 8(c), 20(b)(ii)(C) and 29 of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, which cover possession, transport, and criminal conspiracy related to commercial quantities of narcotics.
Who conducted the drug bust and when?
The NCB's Ahmedabad Zonal Unit carried out the operation on 4 and 5 May 2020, acting on specific intelligence. The formal complaint was filed before the Special NDPS Court in Surat City in October 2020.
How can the public report drug trafficking information to the NCB?
The NCB has urged citizens to share drug trafficking information through the MANAS National Narcotics Helpline, a toll-free service that guarantees strict confidentiality for informants.
