Jatni: The arrest of a drug peddler here recently has exposed the flourishing trade of contraband in the locality and failure of the excise department to curb it.
Jaanla outpost police nabbed Debi Prasad Mohanty (28) from the Medical Square here Friday. The accused, who hails from Patakura in Kendrapara district, lives in Doordarshan Colony in Chandrasekharpur police limits.
During interrogation, the accused told the police that he had procured the contraband from a place near Khurda. Although Mohanty could not tell the exact name of the place, he expressed his readiness to lead a police team to the place. The accused was under the influence of drug and fell off his bike near Jaanla Medical Square. Some locals spotted him and contacted police, sources said.
“We found 10 small sachets of brown sugar from the accused. We produced him in a local court Saturday,” Jaanla outpost inspector Sanjeev Mohanty said. The police are now planning to conduct a series of raids in Khurda area to trace people who deal in drugs.
Meanwhile, locals said the recovery of the brown sugar is only the tip of the iceberg as the illegal narcotic trade is flourishing at different place under Jatni police limits. Contrabands, including country and foreign liquor, ganja and brown sugar, are being sold openly in the town as well as in village areas.
The senior citizens have expressed concern over the drug menace as many youngsters are getting addicted to brown sugar and other narcotics. While the brown sugar business was earlier confined to urban settlements, now drug peddlers are targeting rural youths. Many drug addicts of the locality have been admitted to de-addiction centres, sources said.
According to sources, many women organisations in the area have launched campaigns against the rising narcotic trade. Women at Kusumati village in Jatni block organised awareness rally to spread awareness against drug abuse recently. “We visit the areas where drug business is going on and warn the traders to stop the illegal trade,” said sarpanch of Kusumati gram panchayat Sunil Routray.
The residents alleged that the police and excise department officials are yet to launch any drive to trace ganja and brown sugar traders. The failure of both the departments has triggered resentment among the locals. “Police and excise department officials should initiate a drive to reach the root of the illegal drug trade,” said a local.
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