Heroin worth over Rs 38L seized in Cuttack; drug peddler arrested

In a significant anti-narcotics operation, the Excise Department Flying Squad seized around 385 grams of heroin on Sunday near Manguli Chhak on the outskirts of Cuttack City. 

Also Read: Brown sugar found in mixture packets in Odisha! 150gm of drugs seized

One person has been arrested in connection with the case. The accused has been identified as Jagannath Jena, a resident of Angul district.

According to official sources, Jena was transporting the contraband when the Excise team conducted the raid and apprehended him. The seized heroin is estimated to be worth over Rs 38 lakh in the open illegal market.

The Excise Commissioner’s office confirmed the seizure and stated that further investigation is underway to determine the source and intended recipients of the drugs. Authorities suspect the involvement of a wider drug trafficking network operating in the region.

In an official statement, Excise Department confirmed that the raid took place near Tangi-Manguli Chhak, where they intercepted Jagannath and seized 385 grams of heroin from his possession.

Following the arrest, the accused man was produced before court and was sent to judicial custody later in the day. The surprise raid was conducted acting on the directives of Excise Commissioner P. Anvesha Reddy.

Earlier in another incident on July 11, a drug trafficking method allegedly involving edible mixture packets had come to the fore in Khordha district. The Excise Department had seized brown sugar and cash from a godown in Bhatapada, triggering controversy and community backlash.

“Prima facie evidence suggests that it (the seized brown sugar) was under his possession. As 150 grams of brown sugar is a huge quantity, we have detained him (the godown owner). Some others (villagers) had requested to release the man. Whoever is involved in this illegal activity will be nabbed,” Khordha Excise Superintendent Suniti Tripathy had said.