Bhubaneswar: The Crime Branch of Odisha police on Wednesday said that the two-drug peddlers nabbed in Bhubaneswar last week with 202 gm of cocaine have international links. Cocaine, an expensive drug, was seized in Odisha by the two men on April 13. The duo, hailing from Churu and Jhunjhunu districts of Rajasthan, were planning to sell drugs to foreigners, including sportspersons, who would be visiting Bhubaneswar and Rourkela during Men's Hockey World Cup next year, Crime Branch ADG Sanjeev Panda said. They had also visited pilgrim and tourist destinations such as Puri, which is frequented by many foreigners, he said. "The duo has links with drug peddlers in China, France, America, Switzerland, Thailand and South Africa. The accused were in contact with them," he said.
They were jointly interrogated by the Special Task Force of the Crime Branch and the Narcotics Control Board. The prime accused used to sell cocaine in Delhi. He contacted the co-accused, who frequently travelled to Bhubaneswar, to spread the drug business in Odisha. The duo was nabbed from a rented house here.
A case under NDPS Act has been registered 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, a statement issued by the Crime Branch after the arrests had said.
