Bhubaneswar, June 14: The arrest of a 27-year-old peddler from Baramunda bus terminal with 11kg ganja yesterday has highlighted how peddlers are now using public transport to ferry the contraband into the city.

Police said ganja is transported mainly from Angul, Sambalpur and Boudh. However, quality ganja cultivated in Kandhamal, Malkangiri and Rayagada fetches more profit.

"Peddlers switched to using public buses after excise officials and police jointly started tracking suspected cars and personal vehicles," said an excise official.

Enforcement agencies said the ganja was completely dried before being wrapped in polythene sheets."The contraband is later packed in air bags and handed over to middlemen, who transport it in buses as luggage is not checked in buses," said the excise official.

Padmanav Behera, who was arrested yesterday, used to work as a helper in a private bus plying between Kandhamal and Bhubaneswar.

In November 2015, Khandagiri police arrested two persons, including a woman, and seized contraband weighing 30kg, while they were leaving the Baramunda bus terminal. The accused, Bihar residents Ambruta Devi, 23, and Brajesh Pandey, 25, had brought the contraband in two airbags by a private bus.

While a 10gm packet of ganja is sold at Rs 20, a piece of cigarette stuffed with the contraband is sold at Rs 10. Sources said ganja is usually bought at Rs 1,500 per kg and sold for Rs 3,000. The police said a peddler sells about 50-60kg of ganja daily, fetching Rs 90,000 in profit.who were released on bail. Besides, Khandagiri police station has been asked to keep a vigil on transportation of ganja through buses," said Bhoi.