Balasore: Amid allegations that drug trade has been thriving in Jaleswar area of Balasore district, the police have taken two persons accused in drug smuggling into five-day custody Saturday.
The police had seized 1.6 kg of brown sugar and arrested four persons on the Balasore-Phuladi road June 17.
The four were identified as Seikh Raju, Seikh Hussain, Seikh Jamshed Ali and Seikh Makshed. They were booked under the NDPS Act. All the accused belonging to Sahadevkhunta are involved in fish trade.
Significantly, the police and the excise suspected that fish trade has been a means to push dug peddling in the area.
The trader has extended from Balasore to Bangladesh via West Bengal.
IIC of Model police station Subharansu Nayak has taken Seikh Raju and Seikh Jamshed into five-day custody for investigation.
Meanwhile, a joint effort has been initiated by the excise, the police, the health and the forest departments to crack down on the illegal drug trade.
A decision was taken at a high-level meeting here recently to form three-tier squads to check drug trafficking — at the district level, at the sub-divisional level and the tehsil level.
PNN
