Cuttack, Nov. 14: A strategy has been prepared to root out narcotics trade as the crime branch has stumbled upon leads regarding involvement of traders from Kerala in promoting cannabis cultivation in the state.

Odisha is becoming a hub of the production of narcotics substances, including cannabis and poppy, which are being smuggled out to other parts of the country.

Senior officials of crime branch and Odisha police deliberated on challenges, faced by the cops and the excise officials in destroying hemp cultivation in various parts of the state, at a conference held here today.

“We have been able to put a check on cannabis plantation that is now mostly being carried out in the inaccessible and hilly regions in the state. There are concrete information about involvement of the Left wing extremists, directly or indirectly, in promotion of such illegal trade in the state,” said director-general of police Sanjiv Marik.

Marik said the excise officials and the police had initiated a special drive in the past two years, and hemp cultivation on nearly 3,523 acres had been destroyed in the financial year 2013-14.

“We have clearly instructed all the district superintendents of police to wipe out hemp cultivation and set a target of destruction of the plantation on 3,000 acres in various parts of the state,” Marik said.

A crime branch official said there had been a sharp decline in the cannabis cultivation as the mafia had shifted base and were now operating from the inaccessible areas.

Official records indicate that nearly 4,735 poppy plants were destroyed in 2009, while plantation on four acres was destroyed in 2010. Angul district has successfully destroyed around 1,82,460 poppy plantations by the end of February this year. As many as 122 cases under the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act were registered in 2010, while the number rose to 173 in 2011, 239 in 2012, 404 in 2013, and 205 cases were registered by the end of October this year.

Cannabis and poppy cultivation is mainly carried out in eight districts, including Angul, Deogarh, Boudh, Gajapati, Sambalpur, Rayagada, Kandhamal and Malkangiri.

“We had recently found that the cannabis from Rayagada is being smuggled out to other parts of the country, and a Kerala-based trader was arrested from Rayagada a couple of months ago,” said additional director of police (crime branch) B.K. Sharma. Sharma said it was found that there had been a substantial decline in the cannabis cultivation, while fresh reports indicated the cultivation of poppy in few pockets of the state. A senior official said the police and excise officials had been instructed to initiate criminal cases against the landowner, persons engaged in production and transportation of such narcotics substances.

“It has been found that traders from outside the state are financing the local producers of such narcotics substances, while clear instructions have been made to wipe out the links,” Sharma said.