BHUBANESWAR: As many as 438 people have been arrested by the Commissionerate Police in the last one and half years for peddling brown sugar, ganja and banned cough syrups in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack.
Under the special drive ‘Operation White Spider’ to crackdown on sale and supply of contraband in the Twin City, the police nabbed 297 peddlers last year while 141 have been arrested so far this year. Around 1.22 kg brown sugar was seized in 2023 while the haul this year is 586 gm. Similarly, police seized close to 19 quintal ganja in 2023 and another 543 kg ganja in 2024 so far.
A total 211 NDPS cases have been registered in the last one and half years. At least, 31 four-wheelers, nine three-wheelers and more than 70 two-wheelers along with around Rs 20 lakh cash have also been seized during the drive during the period.
The drive will be strengthened and intensified in the coming days to free both the cities from drug and other anti-social activities, police said.