NEW DELHI: In a significant crackdown on interstate cannabis trafficking, officers of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), Hyderabad Zone, seized 813 kilograms of ganja and arrested 3 individuals in the early hours of January 13, 2026. Acting on precise intelligence, 2 NCB teams launched a coordinated operation to intercept a suspicious vehicle moving through the outskirts of Hyderabad. The vehicle, a specially modified lorry, reportedly transported the contraband from Malkangiri district in Odisha towards Latur, Maharashtra. The contraband was to be distributed in Delhi, Mumbai, and other places, sources said.Upon intercepting the vehicle, officers conducted a thorough search under the provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985. Investigators discovered that the lorry operated with an expired Registration Certificate and was extensively altered to facilitate smuggling. The team uncovered a large, hidden cylindrical cavity designed to resemble a storage tank. To further evade detection, the traffickers camouflaged the compartment with grass and a tarpaulin sheet. Inside this concealed space, officers recovered the bulk shipment of ganja.The 3 arrested suspects were identified as residents of Bidar district. Preliminary investigations revealed that 1 of the accused was a habitual offender with a prior criminal record involving narcotics. He was previously implicated in 2 separate drug-related cases in Karnataka and Maharashtra. The NCB is currently conducting an expansive investigation to dismantle the broader trafficking syndicate, focusing on identifying the source of the drugs, the intended destination network, and the financial trails associated with the operation. Further legal proceedings and investigations into forward and backward linkages are ongoing, officials said.