Bhubaneswar/Hyderabad, October 18: In a major crackdown on drug trafficking, two individuals from Odisha were arrested in Secunderabad by the Telangana Excise and Prohibition Department for smuggling over 16 kilograms of ganja to Mumbai-based traders.

The arrest took place when the State Task Force (STF) C team intercepted the suspects near Alpha Hotel, seizing three bags of the contraband, valued at approximately ₹8 lakh. The accused, Murali Nayak and Kala Charan, had procured the ganja from a supplier in Odisha and had traveled to Hyderabad aboard the Konark Express.

According to police sources, the duo had arrived in the city with the intention of delivering the consignment to local traders and were waiting near the hotel when they were apprehended.

The contraband and the arrested individuals were subsequently handed over to the Secunderabad Excise Station for further investigation.