Bhubaneswar, Feb. 9 -- Cannabis oil, rather than raw marijuana, has now become the preferred choice for smugglers, with Odisha emerging as a major hub for its production and trafficking. After a brief gap, Malkangiri police have once again busted a cannabis oil mafia and seized a large quantity of materials used in its preparation, on Monday.

During a raid on an illegal cannabis oil manufacturing unit, police confiscated all equipment and chemicals used in producing the oil and arrested four accused. The factory was operating deep inside a forest in Badapadar Panchayat under Chitrakonda police station limits.

According to police sources, the cannabis oil produced at the unit was being smuggled not only to different parts of the state bu...