The STF had made a seizure of around 810 kilograms of cannabis (locally called ganja) on 7 August 2021. Two accused persons arrested then in this connection had spilled the beans and revealed that it was Singh who was operation the drug racket from UP, said Deputy Inspector General of police, STF, Mr. Jai Narayan Pankaj.
Photo: IANS
The Special Task Force (STF) of Odisha police in a joint operation with its Uttar Pradesh counterparts arrested a fugitive interstate drug peddling racket mastermind by conducting a raid at Agwar Khas village in Agra district of the northern State.
The drug peddler identified as Shivnath Singh was wanted in a NDPS case in Machhakund police station jurisdiction of Malkangiri district. The STF had made a seizure of around 810 kilograms of cannabis (locally called ganja) on 7 August 2021. Two accused persons arrested then in this connection had spilled the beans and revealed that it was Singh who was operation the drug racket from UP, said Deputy Inspector General of police, STF, Mr. Jai Narayan Pankaj.
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The arrested accused is one of the masterminds in the cases and was on the run since the seizure of the contraband last year. He is being brought under transit remand to Odisha on directions received from Chief Judicial Magistrate, Agra, he said.
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The cannabis routed through Odisha’s Malkangiri district by organized drug rackets is much in demand in other States because its price is on the lower side.
These banned substances are mostly being smuggled to southern and northern parts of the country including Uttar Pradesh and New Delhi.
While one kg of ganja is sold in black market in Odisha at Rs 5000 to Rs 10,000 in Delhi and bigger cities, the contraband’s price shoots up to Rs 20, 000 to Rs 30,000 per kg depending on demand and supply, added the official.
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