Gorakhpur, Apr 15 (PTI) The Special Task Force (STF) and local police in Uttar Pradesh’s Kushinagar busted an inter-state ‘ganja’ (cannabis) smuggling racket by arresting three persons with more than one quintal of the contraband concealed in a container truck, officials said on Monday.

The STF and local police intercepted the container truck in the Kasya police station area of Kushinagar on Sunday evening, they said.

A total of 1.20-quintal of cannabis worth about Rs 72 lakh was recovered from the vehicle, police said.

The arrested accused have been identified as Ajay Yadav from Mau district, and Vipin Kumar Pal and Suhail Khan, both from Etawah district.

During preliminary interrogation, the accused confessed to being part of an organised smuggling racket that sourced ganja from Guwahati, and transported the same across state borders using hidden compartments in container trucks to avoid detection, police said.

Police have launched a detailed probe into the matter after registering a case under the relevant sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act at the Kasya police station, the officials said. PTI COR ABN ARI