BHUBANESWAR: The Special Task Force (STF) of the Crime Branch arrested a person from West Bengal for allegedly selling brown sugar and seized over 1 kg of the narcotics worth Rs 1 crore from him. They intercepted Safikul Sk of Beldanga in Murshidabad district on NH-16 near Tangi on Wednesday when he was attempting to deliver the consignment to a customer.
Safikul has been involved in drug trade for the last 10 years, said DIG (STF) Jai Narayan Pankaj and added that initial investigation suggests that he was earlier arrested by West Bengal Police under Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.
"The accused has revealed names of three brown sugar dealers from his village who are supplying the contraband to Odisha. The STF will make efforts to nab the other inter-state dealers in the coming days," said sources.
Usually, the dealers from the neighbouring West Bengal deliver the consignment till the bordering areas of Odisha but Safikul came in a train to the State, they added.
Last year, STF launched a special drive to check the sale of drugs in Odisha. The agency has seized more than 41 kg of brown sugar/heroin, over 86 quintal ganja and arrested at least 100 drug dealers/peddlers during the period.