Jharsuguda: Badmal police on Monday busted an interstate drug trafficking racket, seizing 23,640 bottles of codeine-based cough syrup worth over Rs 1 crore and arresting two alleged traffickers under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.The accused were identified as Mohammad Ahsan Ahmed (38) of Aurangabad district in Bihar and Rijwan Ansari (28) of Bardhaman district in West Bengal.The seizure was made during an operation under the state’s Nashamukt Abhiyan Odisha. Acting on specific intelligence that a truck carrying the contraband would reach a fly ash brick factory near Tumbekela under Badmal police station limits, police formed a special team and laid a trap after completing mandatory legal formalities under the NDPS Act in the presence of an executive magistrate and independent witnesses.Around 11 am, police intercepted a truck and a car. A search led to the recovery of 197 sealed cartons containing 23,640 bottles of Wincerex cough syrup (100 ml each) with codeine phosphate and triprolidine hydrochloride. The total seized quantity was 2,364 litres, falling under the commercial quantity category under the NDPS Act.Police also seized the two vehicles allegedly used to transport the contraband, Rs 2.44 lakh in cash, and two mobile phones. During interrogation, the accused allegedly said the consignment had been procured from Jagannathpur in Chaibasa, Jharkhand, without valid purchase documents and was being transported for illegal distribution for financial gain. A case has been registered under Sections 21(c) and 29 of the NDPS Act, 1985.Jharsuguda SP G R Raghavendra said further investigation was on to trace the source of the contraband, identify the interstate supply chain, ascertain the intended destination and nab others involved.
