E-Paper
2,400 kg cannabis seized near Assam-Tripura border; 2 held
Police acted on a prior information and stopped the 18-wheeler goods carrier truck loaded with drums carrying cannabis at the Naka check point on National Highway-8
Assam’s Karimganj police on Saturday night seized 2,400 kg of cannabis (ganja) smuggled from Tripura near the interstate border and arrested two persons including a resident of Panjab, police said.
“In a huge recovery last night by Churaibari Watch Post staff along Assam-Tripura border. Police detained a truck coming from a neighbouring state and seized 2,400 kg ganja (Cannabis) tucked in drums. Two accused apprehended,” Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said in a tweet on Sunday morning.
The in-charge of Churaibari Watch Post, Niranjan Das said that they acted on a prior information and stopped the vehicle on National Highway-8 on Saturday evening.
He said that the 18-wheeler goods carrier truck, bearing registration no. PB 04N 8281 and loaded with drums, was stopped at the Naka check point.
“The truck was coming from Tripura and was going to New Delhi, according to the drivers. It was checked thoroughly where we found 72 drums filled with liquid rubber and 48 loaded with ganja packets. Each drum contained two packets of ganja,” Das said.
The superintendent of Karimganj police, Padmanabh Baruah said that the arrested persons have been identified as Parbinder Singh (27) and Jowel Hussain (27). Parbinder Singh is a resident of Faridkot district of Panjab while Jowel Hussain is from Sepahijola area of Tripura.
“This is the second largest seizure of cannabis at this border check post so far. A few months back, our officials recovered over 4,700 kg of ganja coming from Tripura,” he said.
Apart from this, the Karimganj police seized over 3,000 kg cannabis in three different cases last month. Baruah said that in Tripura, there is a huge cultivation of cannabis and police in that state are also trying to combat this issue.
“The cultivation of cannabis must be huge because in last few months, we have seized over 10,000 kg. We are not allowing any trade of ganja in our territory but the arrested persons said that they were assigned to transport it to other states,” Baruah added.
On October 8, Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) destroyed over 40,000 kg drugs in north-eastern states in presence of Union home minister Amit Shah.
Shah later in a tweet said: “Modi govt has adopted a zero-tolerance policy towards drugs. It is not an issue of the Centre or state but a national issue, so the efforts to deal with it should also be national and unified.”
