AGARTALA, November 4 (TIWN): A joint team of East Agartala police station and Maharajganj Bazar police station on Tuesday arrested three drug peddlers and claimed to have busted an inter-state gang involved in smuggling drugs from one state to another. A total of ten packets of drugs were recovered from them.The three peddlers, were key members of the gang, were arrested from city hotel where they had arrived to dispose drug consignment. They were identified as Suraj Ahmed Chowdhury resident of Sichar, Shoroy Shyam Pingo resident of Manipur and Poltu Acharjee resident of Bhuyarmatha, Tripura.A highly placed source of police department said that the accused brought drugs from Mayanmar and supplied it in Tripura, Mizoram, Meghalaya, Sikkim and Manipur.

The source added that the drugs were hidden in specially-made containers. The gang used to spend Rs 1 lakh to Rs 2 lakh to bring one consignment from Mayanmar to Manipur.
The source further said that several groups were involved in drug peddling and drug peddlers usually pocketed up to Rs 8 to 9 lakh in one shot after smuggling of drugs from one state to another. This was the prime reason behind peddlers bringing consignments from Mayanmar.
According to the police the drugs costs at a market price of Rs.30 to 40 lakh. The three detained smugglers will be produced before the court on Wednesday. Whereas on the other hand, the forensic team will test the drugs recovered on Tuesday.  However, to mention here when the drug supplies has risen at an alarming rate at the state this has now seems to have turned into inter-state drugs smuggling. Though it has now become a matter of concern for the Tripura govt. when the state has become a corridor of drugs. 

It is also to be mentioned here that the Tripura railways in becoming a new pathway for the import and export of drug smuggling. According to sources, around 80 youths are connected with the drug smuggling through railways.

On the issue of narcotics, no amount of laws seems to be enough to reign in the production and distribution of banned substances. The smuggling of drug is gaining momentum in the state, said a highly placed police sources. It is to be mentioned here that large parts of Bangladesh and Myanmar are emerging as drug consuming zones, and bordering areas of Tripura are contributing to the fast-emerging drugs market, the source mentioned. 

Police is well aware of the situation and the police often detain drug consignments that are used in Tripura. But, this is just the tip of the iceberg. The network is very deep-rooted and widespread. The drug smuggling would, in future, become a major deterrent to better Indo-Bangla relations, the source further said.

East Agartala Police arrested 3 members of Inter-State smuggling gang and recovered drugs. TIWN Pic Nov 4