NEW DELHI: The Central Bureau of Narcotics (CBN), Madhya Pradesh unit, has seized more than 4.2 tonnes of poppy straw in two separate operations, uncovering consignments allegedly concealed beneath other cargo to evade detection. Three persons have been arrested, and two trucks used to transport the contraband have been seized.
Poppy straw, refers to the harvested parts of the opium poppy plant other than the seeds. It is regulated under India’s narcotics law. Its possession, transport and other dealings are subject to the provisions of the NDPS Act.
The seizures, totalling 4,209.80 kg of the poppy straw, were made on October 5 and 9 following specific intelligence inputs. In one case, the contraband was concealed beneath plastic sacks in a container truck, while in the other, more than 3.2 tonnes of poppy straw was found beneath 100 bags of wheat being transported as cover cargo, said an official from the CBN, which works under the Department of Revenue, Ministry of Finance.
The operations highlight the use of concealed consignments to move narcotic substances through road transport routes, with investigators now trying to establish their source, intended recipients and links to wider trafficking networks.
In the first operation on October 5, CBN officers from Neemuch intercepted a container truck bearing Haryana registration on the Udaipur–Chittorgarh highway. A search led to the recovery of 929.08 kg of poppy straw, including lanced and unlanced poppy straw and poppy straw powder.
The contraband had been concealed beneath 39 plastic sacks of different colours. The truck and the recovered material were seized, and one person was arrested under the relevant provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985.
In the second operation on October 9, officers intercepted a Rajasthan-registered Tata truck on the Gandhisagar–Bhanpura road in Madhya Pradesh’s Mandsaur district.
A detailed search conducted at the CBN office in Garoth resulted in the recovery of 3,280.72 kg of poppy straw hidden beneath 100 bags of wheat. The truck, the poppy straw and the wheat bags were seized. Both occupants of the vehicle were arrested under the NDPS Act.
Together, the two operations resulted in the seizure of 4,209.80 kg of poppy straw, two vehicles and 100 bags of wheat used as cover cargo. Three persons were arrested in the cases, said the official.
The CBN is investigating both cases to identify the origin of the consignments, establish who was to receive the contraband and determine whether other individuals or organised networks were involved in the alleged trafficking.
The CBN is responsible for enforcing controls relating to narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances, including action against illicit trafficking and diversion.
The Madhya Pradesh unit said the operations were part of its continuing anti-drug enforcement drive, combining intelligence gathering with targeted interceptions and searches.
