Major haul of phensedyl uncovers presence of organized drug syndicate in Tripura

A major crackdown on the smuggling of contraband substances at Agartala Railway Station on Thursday exposed what police suspected to be a well-organized interstate drug trafficking syndicate operating in Tripura.

Two massive consignments of phensedyl were recovered from parcel vans on the same day.

In the first operation, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), assisted by personnel of the Assam Rifles and Railway Protection Force (RPF), seized a huge consignment of banned cough syrup worth over Rs 6.54 crore. The consignment, officials said, had been booked from Katihar in Bihar and was transported to Agartala in a parcel van attached to the train.

Around 55,626 bottles (100 ml each) of Eskuf Cough Syrup were seized and a youth was arrested in this connection. The arrested youth- Subrata Deb (34), reportedly works as the manager of a private business in Agartala and is a resident of Batakha Village in Kalyanpur. He had reportedly reached Agartala Railway Station to receive delivery of the illegal consignment.

In the second operation carried out at the evening, police said, the consignment was larger than the first one. Counting of the number of Eskuf bottles was underway till the last information came in. Police said, details will be shared once the counting gets completed.

The major haul of contraband items has once again brought to light the existence of a large and sophisticated drug trafficking network operating in Tripura.

The recovery is being considered significantly larger than previous seizures made earlier at both Jirania Railway Station and Agartala Railway Station, indicating an alarming rise in the scale of illegal drug transportation through railway routes.

Last year on October 17, the Tripura Police Crime Branch (TPCB), with the assistance of other security forces, seized a huge consignment of banned Eskuf cough syrup valued at around Rs 5.4 crore from a goods train. That goods train, carrying chicken feed, rice and other commodities, had reached Jirania Railway Station in West Tripura from Delhi on October 16. 

Several persons, including Rajib Dasgupta (42), identified as one of the principal kingpins of the racket, were arrested.

Police are suspecting that such large-scale transportation of contraband substances through a sensitive transport hub like Agartala and Jirania Railway Stations would not have been possible without the involvement of an organized network working behind the scenes. 

Preliminary findings are pointing toward the possible involvement of a section of staff associated with railway service, particularly individuals linked to the parcel handling unit.

The repeated recovery of contraband substances from railway parcel consignments suggests the existence of a deeply entrenched trafficking syndicate using Tripura as a transit route for illegal drug movement. 

Police are now widening their investigation to identify those connected to the network, including the sender, receiver, and all individuals involved in facilitating the movement of the consignments. 

The investigation remains underway, and officials have indicated that arrests and major revelations could follow in the coming days as agencies intensified their probe into what may turn out to be one of the largest drug trafficking networks operating through railway channels in the region.