Marijuana worth ₹8 crore seized at Bhubaneswar airport; one detained

Bhubaneswar: Just four days after a major seizure at the Biju Patnaik International Airport, officials on Saturday seized another consignment of marijuana worth ₹8 crore at the airport.

The seizure was made by officials of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) during a luggage check of a passenger who had arrived from Bangkok, official sources said.

The passenger, a youth, has been detained for questioning. Officials said a woman was also travelling with him; however, her details were not immediately available at the time of filing this report. The detained youth is not a resident of Odisha, sources added.

Earlier, on December 30, marijuana worth ₹4 crore was seized from another passenger at the Bhubaneswar airport.

Officials suspect the smuggled marijuana was intended to be transported to different parts of the country. The possibility of the contraband being moved further through inter-state bus services cannot be ruled out.

According to official sources, DRI teams have seized marijuana worth around ₹100 crore at the Biju Patnaik International Airport in 2025.