Koraput: Police have launched a special drive to destroy illegal hemp cultivation in the district.

In the past week, the police with excise officials have destroyed ganja plants worth Rs 10 crore over 22 acres.

The police said certain areas of Lamataput block bordering Malkangiri district has turned into a hub of ganja plantation. The contraband is being smuggled to Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and a few parts of the state from here.

"Illegal hemp cultivation is spread over hundreds of acres in these bordering areas which are not easily accessible. The destroyed plants are just tip of the iceberg," said Koraput additional superintendent of police V.R. Rao.

"The ganja plants were grown on private lands and these areas have being demarcated. Stern action will be taken against those land owners," he said. According to a source, the villagers had taken up hemp cultivation with initial support from traders belonging to Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Bengal and Chhattisgarh.