The Special Task Force (STF) of Odisha Crime Branch police busted a drug peddling racket by arresting three drug peddlers and confiscating brown sugar worth over Rs 2.5 crore.
The drug peddlers identified as Bhagirathi Bhatt, Biswajit Nayak, Chandan Mallik were nabbed with the banned substances in a raid conducted by a team of STF near AIIMs, Bhubaneswar. All the accused persons were the natives of Khordha district.
A haul of 2.58 kilograms of brown sugar valued at over Rs over 2.5 crore was seized from their possession.
During preliminary investigation, it has been established that it was an interstate drug peddling racket as the drug procured from Bengal was being smuggled to major cities of the State.
The STF is continuing its well-orchestrated operation on drug peddlers across the State. And that is paying rich dividends. In the past 30 months, the STF has seized 54 kilograms of brown sugar. The seized narcotic substances would have fetched the drug peddlers nearly Rs 54 crore in black market.
Besides, around 103 quintals of cannabis were also seized during the period by STF with over 150 drug peddlers put behind bars.
The banned substances are making their way to Odisha from Murshidabad in West Bengal. Balasore district bordering Bengal has become the gateway to drug peddling networks in the State. The source point of brown sugar trade in the State owes its origin to Murshidabad, the officials confided.