UP STF SEIZES MARIJUANA WORTH ₹2.5 CR; THREE HELD

INTERROGATION OF THE DRUG PEDDLERS REVEALED THAT THEY WERE BRINGING THIS MARIJUANA FROM NAXAL AFFECTED AREAS OF ODISHA

LUCKNOW : Around 10.12 quintal marijuana worth ₹2.5 crore smuggled from Naxalite areas of Odisha was seized after a truck carrying it was intercepted in Uttar Pradesh’s Chitrakoot district on Wednesday evening, said police officials. They said three drug peddlers involved in the entire nexus have been arrested.

The seizure was done by the UP Special Task Force (STF) during a crackdown launched to curb the drug peddling menace in the state.

The STF have seized as many as 23 consignments of different types of drugs including marijuana, charas, morphine, opium and other narcotics substances since March’s first week.

The UP STF press note stated that the recent catch was done at Jadera Nala under Manikpur police station limits of Chitrakoot when the truck carrying marijuana was intercepted there on Wednesday evening. The STF also arrested the truck driver as well as two other persons travelling in a sedan behind the truck.

A senior STF official said those arrested were identified as the truck driver Arun Shivhare of UP’s Banda district and the two drug peddlers Sharada Dahiya of Satna, Madhya Pradesh and Yudhisthir Baak alias Dasrath of Bargarh, Odisha.

He said it was revealed during interrogation that they were bringing this marijuana from Naxal affected areas of Odisha and the kingpin of the racket is one Ashish Singh of Satna, Madhya Pradesh.

He said further efforts are on for the arrest of the kingpin.