Bhubaneswar(Odisha): Cocaine has been seized in Odisha for the first time, a police statement said on Wednesday. Based on a tip-off, the Crime Branch's Special Task Force (STF), on Tuesday arrested two interstate drug peddlers identified as Sunny Kumar of Rajasthan and Ravi of Bhubaneswar and seized 202 gm of cocaine worth Rs 12.12 lakh from their possession, it said.
The duo, hailing from Churu and Jhunjhunu districts of Rajasthan, was attempting to spread cocaine business in posh areas of Bhubaneswar, the statement said. One of the accused used to procure cocaine from a trafficker in Delhi and sell it in the national capital. He then contacted the other accused, who lived in Bhubaneswar, to spread the business in the Odisha capital, the statement added.
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A case under NDPS Act has been registered against the duo and further investigation is underway. Unlike cannabis or heroin and brown sugar (made from opium), cocaine is not produced in India as it comes from the coca plant native to South America. It is mainly produced in countries like Colombia, Peru, and Bolivia and consumed in the United States and Europe, police said.
(With agency inputs)
