Bhubaneswar: The special task force (STF) of the crime branch has taken over the investigation from Koraput district police into the seizure of 1,800 litres of hashish oil worth around Rs 225 crore in Feb, one of the biggest drug hauls in Odisha’s history.The STF stepped in owing to the case’s inter-state ramifications, with nine of the 15 previously arrested accused hailing from Kerala, indicating the presence of a well-organised trafficking network operating across state boundaries.“Since it was a massive haul, we want to map both the forward and backward linkages of the syndicate. We will also conduct a detailed financial investigation to follow the money trail and identify the beneficiaries behind the operation,” said STF IGP Himanshu Kumar Lal.The contraband was seized on Feb 26 within Padwa police limits in Koraput district. STF DIG Kanwar Vishal Singh, who supervised the operation while serving as DIG of the south-western range, said the unprecedented seizure pointed to attempts by an organised inter-state cartel to establish large-scale hashish oil manufacturing facilities in the region.“We are intensifying intelligence-based operations to dismantle the entire syndicate. If required, we will seek police remand of the accused to gather further information about the network and its operatives,” Singh said.Hashish oil, also known as liquid ganja, is a highly concentrated cannabis extract that is sold between Rs 11 lakh and Rs 12.5 lakh per litre in the illicit market. Police officials believe drug traffickers are trying to shift to hashish oil as sustained crackdowns on bulk ganja transportation have made conventional smuggling more difficult.“Unlike dry cannabis, hash oil is easier to conceal, transport and distribute. Its compact form makes detection more challenging, prompting traffickers to prefer it over traditional ganja,” a police officer said.Police sources said hashish oil contains high concentrations of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the primary psychoactive compound in cannabis. Nearly 40 kg of raw cannabis is required to produce one litre of hashish oil, making it significantly more valuable than conventional marijuana products.Over the past year, Odisha police have dismantled four major hashish oil trafficking networks in Koraput and Malkangiri districts.