Cannabis worth about Rs 1.5 cr seized, five nabbed

Kolkata: The Special Task Force (STF) of the state police nabbed five persons and seized cannabis worth about Rs 1.5 crore from Belda in West Midnapore on Wednesday evening.

According to STF officials, acting on a tip off, cops were keeping a strict vigil in and around the Shyampura crossing beside National Highway (NH) 16, on the Kharagpur-bound flank. After a while, cops spotted a six-wheeler truck and a car. Accordingly, both the vehicles were intercepted and searched. During a search of the truck and the car, cops found the contraband kept in sacks hidden under sack-loads of onion. Immediately, five persons from both the vehicles were detained. They were taken to the Belda Police Station along with the truck and the car.

The seized cannabis was measured and it was found that the accused persons were carrying about 500 kg cannabis worth about Rs 1.5 crore. It was found that the miscreants were smuggling the contraband to Bengal from Andhra Pradesh. Sources informed that the accused persons were about to sell the cannabis to the local drug dealers who would later sell those to its consumers across the state.