Bhubaneswar, Nov. 16 -- Authorities in Odisha have intensified their crackdown on large-scale illegal cannabis cultivation in Sambalpur district after investigations revealed that groups from neighbouring Jharkhand have been clearing forest patches, settling in remote pockets, and cultivating ganja across multiple acres of land.

Sources cited excise department officials who said the operations appear far more organised this year, with evidence suggesting external financing and coordinated activity.

Enforcement inputs from the Excise Department indicate that individuals from Jharkhand have been entering forested zones in Rairakhol block, particularly the Ghusuramala area, where they allegedly cleared vegetation to establish temporary set...