Brown sugar worth Rs 3L seized; 2 held in city

Excise officials on Friday seized brown sugar worth lakhs of rupees from a slum under the Laxmisagar police station and arrested two persons in connection with the case.

On a tipoff, the officials conducted surprise raids at Keutasahi in Haladiapada and busted a drug racket operating in the area. The seized items are worth Rs 3 lakh. Investigation is on to trace other members involved in the racket,” informed an Excise official.

This is the fourth case of drug seizure in the city in the past one month, indicating  the flourishing drug trade in the capital especially in slum areas like Haladiapada which have become hub for the contraband.

At least eight persons have been arrested during last one month for their involvement in trafficking of these contraband items, informed excise officials. However, locals alleged that the seizures are only tip of the iceberg.

While the small fries are being caught, the big fish continue to elude the Excise and police officials’ dragnet. Drugs like brown sugar are arriving from West Bengal and Baleswar district and being sold in different parts of the city through peddlers.