Jharsuguda: Police on Monday seized 23,640 bottles of illegal codeine-based cough syrup worth over Rs 1.2 crore and arrested two alleged inter-state drug traffickers in Jharsuguda district.
The accused were identified as Mohammad Ahsan Ahmed (38) of Darjibigha village in Bihar’s Aurangabad district and Rijwan Ansari (28) of Aliganj village in West Bengal’s Bardhaman district. They were allegedly transporting the contraband in a truck escorted by a car when they were intercepted near Tumbekela under the Badmal police station limits.
Acting on specific intelligence, a special police team laid a trap near a fly ash brick factory at Tumbekela and intercepted the two vehicles at around 11 am. A search of the truck led to the seizure of 197 sealed cartons containing 23,640 bottles of codeine-based cough syrup.
Jharsuguda SP Gundala Reddy Raghavendra said the seized contraband measured 2,364 litres, which falls under the commercial quantity category under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.
Police also seized the truck used to transport the contraband, the escort vehicle, Rs 2.44 lakh in cash, and two mobile phones from the accused.
During interrogation, the accused allegedly revealed that the consignment had been procured from Jagannathpur in Chaibasa, Jharkhand. The seized cough syrup is estimated to be worth over Rs 1.2 crore in the illegal market, the SP said.
A case has been registered under the relevant provisions of the NDPS Act, and the accused were produced before a local court. Police said efforts are underway to trace other members of the inter-state network and identify the intended destination of the consignment.
