BALASORE: A drug smuggling racket was busted here with the arrest of four persons on Tuesday and brown sugar worth Rs 1.5 crore seized from their possession, a police officer said.

Acting on a tip-off, a team of officers intercepted a car at Dahapada area near here and recovered brown sugar weighing around 1.6 kg, he said.

All four occupants of the car - Sk Maqsood (35), Sk Razu (30), Abusan (28) and Sk Jamsed Ali (53) - have been arrested and another three detained in this connection, the officer said.

Sk Maqsood, the leader of the gang, is a resident of Jaleswar area in the district, he said. According to the officer, the gang peddled drugs concealed in fish baskets.

The traffickers were running the illegal business under the garb of fish trade, he said, adding that more details would be available in the case after investigation.