Bhubaneswar: In a high-stakes, dramatic operation, the Odisha Police have dismantled a major cannabis syndicate headed by a Keralite. The crackdown, carried out between late February and early March, successfully uprooted the gang's operations. The prime suspect, Alan Jayaraj—a man long-hunted by the Kerala Police and State Excise—was apprehended alongside three other natives of Thiruvananthapuram.

The syndicate, led by Alan, operated deep within the forest regions of Odisha. Receiving intelligence that the group was involved in heroin production and large-scale smuggling to other states, the police launched an extensive search operation within the dense woods.

Reaching the hideout was a perilous task, as the forest area was surrounded by vast water bodies. During the daring raid, Alan Raj was captured along with his Thiruvananthapuram associates: Anand Raj, Kiran and Bithu, plus two local accomplices from Odisha. Authorities seized hashish oil and cannabis with an estimated market value of approximately Rs 300 crore.

The gang had established a sophisticated laboratory within the forest to distill cannabis into hashish oil, which was then smuggled across the country. Large consignments of dried cannabis were also regularly sent to Kerala. Following the arrests, Odisha Police officials travelled to Thiruvananthapuram to gather more intelligence. It was then confirmed that Alan was a primary target of the Kerala Excise Department and the mastermind behind a major syndicate supplying drugs to Kerala.

Alan had established his base in the Andhra-Odisha border region years ago. After being previously arrested for conspiracy in a murder case, he shifted his operations to Bengaluru. As support from Naxalite groups dwindled, he moved deep into the Odisha forests, from where he orchestrated the smuggling of hundreds of kilograms of cannabis into Kerala.