26 transporters under scanner for involvement in drug trade

A day after a truck driver and his co-driver were held with a consignment of drugs worth ₹11 crore, the police on Tuesday said that 26 transport companies were under

A day after a truck driver and his co-driver were held with a consignment of drugs worth ₹11 crore, the police on Tuesday said that 26 transport companies were under scanner for their alleged involvement in the drug trade.

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The police have identified transporters from Hisar, Sirsa and Gurugram, who are suspected to be involved in the smuggling of drugs from Odisha. Preet Pal Sangwan, assistant commissioner of police (crime), said they are yet to arrest the transporters involved but raids are being carried out in different areas.

According to the police, the drug trade has increased manifold in the last five years and consignments are mostly routed from Odisha. Earlier the peddlers used to get it from Punjab but discontinued the practice due to the strict checks at the borders.

Sangwan said that transporters sending consignments to Odisha tie up with drug peddlers and get drugs loaded while returning. “The transporter gets enough money and the drivers are paid a hefty amount if they successfully smuggle the drug consignment to the destination. Later, the consignment is delivered to different parts of the state,” he said.

The police said that some transporters got involved in smuggling of drugs about two years ago after the increase in marijuana price in Haryana.

A pack of 10 grams used to be illegally sold for ₹100 but now it is sold for ₹500. There are allegedly more than 500 drug peddlers who travel to Odisha from Haryana. “They used to smuggle drugs in tourist buses, cabs, trains and even on motorbikes but since the checking has intensified they are finding new ways to smuggle and make a quick buck. However, we are taking strict measures and have increased the deployment on Kundli-Manesar-Palwal (KMP) Expressway and other border areas. Teams have been asked to check all trucks and other suspicious vehicles,” he said.

The drivers are given new mobile phones and SIM cards and the peddlers are constantly in touch with them until they reach their destination, the police said. The police said this is a challenge as it becomes difficult for them to trace the suspects.

The police said the drivers are paid between ₹2 lakh and ₹6 lakh per consignment depending on the quantity of drugs.

Sangwan said the two suspects arrested on Monday —Bhupinder Singh and the co-driver, Omji Singh — are residents of Kannauj in Uttar Pradesh and were lured with money as they used to hardly get ₹10,000 per trip. For transporting the consignment, however, they were offered ₹4 lakh. “They have revealed that there are more drivers on the route who are also involved in drug smuggling and, many times, the dhaba staff approach them and offer them deals to smuggle drugs to different areas,” he said adding that this was their first consignment to Hisar.

In 2019, police registered 225 cases and arrested 375 people allegedly involved in drug smuggling.