Rs 14 crore worth opium seized from drug cartels operating trucks to North-East states

The Central Bureau of Narcotics has busted inter-state drug cartels involved in drug trafficking from the North-East states to Rajasthan and seized 272 kg of illicit opium worth around Rs 14 crore in the international market, according to an official statement issued today.

The vehicles along with recovered illicit opium have been seized under the provisions of NDPS Act and 6 persons have also been arrested in this operation so far.

After receiving specific intelligence that drug traffickers of Rajasthan were using Trawler trucks having specially built cavities for smuggling huge quantities of illicit opium from North Eastern States to Rajasthan, officers of CBN initiated Operation Tulip to bust these inter-state cartels, the statement said.

On Nov 15, officers of Central Bureau of Narcotics (CBN), intercepted an Ashok Leyland Trawler (22-Wheeler) on Jaipur-Agra Highway, and seized 95 packets of opium weighing 102.910 kg.

During this operation the drug traffickers tried to escape by ramming the truck into the government vehicle that chased it down. Both the vehicles were damaged, but the driver of the government vehicle exhibited exceptional courage and presence of mind along with officers of CBN to foil the escape plan of drug traffickers.

Upon sustained questioning, the occupants of the vehicle revealed that opium was concealed in specially built cavities inside the trawler.

In a follow-up operation on Nov 20, officers of CBN, intercepted a Tata Trawler at a toll tax near Barabanki in UP and recovered 133 packets of opium weighing 135.7 kg. The driver of the truck rammed his vehicle into the barricade of the toll plaza.

These packets were concealed in a special cavity made underneath the trawler between the rear tyres.

After this on Nov 23, officers of CBN on the basis of specific intelligence intercepted a Tata Trawler in Hisar district of Haryana and recovered 33 packets of Opium weighing 33.9 kg.

CBN had also made a seizure of 38 kg of illicit opium in Rajasthan which was trafficked from North East in the month of April this year. These seizures have highlighted an important fact that huge quantities of illicit opium are being trafficked from North- East India.

Further investigation is still in progress to crack the wider network of the drug cartels.