Lucknow, Jul 14 (PTI) Uttar Pradesh's Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) has arrested four suspected inter-state drug traffickers in Lucknow and seized a cache of narcotics, including morphine and MDMA, worth over Rs 10.29 crore in black market, officials said Monday.
According to ANTF officials, their operational unit based in the capital apprehended the accused, including a woman, from the Gaughat locality in the Thakurganj area on Sunday.
The arrests followed a targeted operation called by DGP Rajeev Krishna and IG (ANTF) Abdul Hamid, and resulted in the recovery of a significant quantity of high-value contraband, they said.
Seized from their possession were 1 kg of morphine, 252 grams of charas, 5.5 kg of ganja (cannabis), 6 grams of MDMA (also known as Mephedrone or 'MD') Rs 79,530 in Indian currency, a Euro 100 note, four mobile phones and a car, according to a statement.
A case under relevant sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act has been registered at the Thakurganj police station, it said.
The accused were identified as Ayush Nishad (20), his father Shravan Kumar Nishad (65), Sufiyan (20) and Neha Nishad (24). All are residents of the Gaughat and Wazirbagh areas in Lucknow, the police said.
During a joint interrogation, the accused admitted to smuggling and selling narcotics like morphine, charas, ganja, and MDMA for hefty profits, it claimed.
The ANTF said further investigation is underway to trace the source and network of the drug supply chain.
The action follows a similar crackdown by the Central Bureau of Narcotics, which arrested a man with over 5,000 bottles of fake cough syrup laced with sedatives in a raid at a house in Lucknow.
It had also seized over 43 kg of ganja concealed in a cavity made in the seats of a car in Ghazipur and arrested one man, Deputy Narcotics Commissioner Praveen Bali had told PTI.