Bhubaneswar, Aug 4: In a major crackdown on interstate drug trafficking, Jharsuguda Police seized 23,640 bottles of illegal codeine-based cough syrup valued at more than Rs 1.2 crore and arrested two alleged traffickers during a special operation conducted near Tumbekela under Badmal police station limits on Monday.

The arrested accused have been identified as Mohammad Ahsan Ahmed (38) of Aurangabad district in Bihar and Rijwan Ansari (28) of Bardhaman district in West Bengal. According to police, the duo was transporting the contraband in a truck that was being escorted by a car.

Acting on specific intelligence inputs, a special police team laid a trap near a fly ash brick factory at Tumbekela and intercepted both vehicles at around 11 am. During the search, officers recovered 197 sealed cartons containing 23,640 bottles of codeine-based cough syrup.

Jharsuguda Superintendent of Police Gundala Reddy Raghavendra said the seizure amounted to 2,364 litres of codeine syrup, which falls under the commercial quantity category of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.

Police also seized the truck, the escort vehicle, Rs 2.44 lakh in cash, and two mobile phones from the accused. During interrogation, the duo allegedly disclosed that the consignment had been procured from Jagannathpur in Chaibasa, Jharkhand.

A case has been registered under the NDPS Act, and both accused have been produced before a local court. Police are now investigating the interstate racket to identify other members of the network and trace the intended destination of the seized contraband.

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