Sambalpur: The Sambalpur district Excise Department Wednesday seized a large consignment of contraband cough syrup and intoxicant tablets being smuggled from Kataka to Sambalpur and arrested a 30-year-old man in this connection.
The accused was identified as Rajen Tirkey, 30, of Dang village under Baragada Town police limits. The seizure was made during a raid at Hatibari Chhak under Jujumura police limits, following a tip-off. According to Deputy Superintendent of Excise Asit Kumar Mal lik, officials recovered around 2,400 bottles, each containing 100 ml of Winserex cough syrup mixed with codeine phosphate, and 9,900 nitrazepam tablets.
The contraband was packed in 20 cartons kept inside eight white plastic sacks, while the tablets were found in another sack. A preliminary test at the spot confirmed the presence of codeine phosphate in the seized cough syrup.
Mallik said the seizure followed an earlier recovery of 80 bottles of prohibited cough syrup by the Sadar Excise police station two days ago. Subsequently, the department received intelligence about a major consignment of narcotic substances being transported illegally.
Preliminary investigation revealed that the consignment had been brought from the Jagatpur area of Kataka. Half of it was intended for sale in Sambalpur and the remaining half in Baragada. A case was registered at Dhama Excise police station under Sec tion 21(c) of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act.
Tirkey was arrested and produced before the Sambalpur Special Excise Court, which remanded him to judicial custody.