In a significant crackdown on the narcotics trade, the Uttar Pradesh Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) has apprehended three active drug traffickers and confiscated illegal substances with an estimated street value exceeding Rs 3.10 crore. The successful twin operations were executed on Monday, December 16, under the direct guidance of senior state police officials.
Coordinated Strikes Across Uttar Pradesh
The operations were a coordinated effort involving specialized units from across the state. Acting on intelligence and under the supervision of the Inspector General of ANTF, teams from Gorakhpur, Meerut, and the operational unit in Prayagraj swung into action. The crackdown was conducted under the overarching guidance of the Director General of Police, UP, and the Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order).
The first breakthrough came from the ANTF Gorakhpur unit, which intercepted two individuals near Ekla Mandir on the busy Gorakhpur-Varanasi road. The location falls under the limits of the GIDA police station.
Heroin Haul in Gorakhpur
The Gorakhpur team arrested two traffickers and recovered a substantial quantity of high-grade heroin. From their possession, officials seized 530 grams of illegal heroin. The international market value of this consignment is pegged at around Rs 1.1 crore.
The accused have been identified as Chhedi Yadav (28), a resident of Chakra Awwal under Rajghat police station, and Arun Singh (29), who lives in Charanlal Chowk on Durga Badi Road in Gorakhpur district. Along with the narcotics, police also confiscated the scooter used for transportation, two Android mobile phones, and Rs 700 in cash.
During preliminary interrogation, the duo revealed that the heroin was sourced from the Tikra Usma Jaitpur area in Barabanki district, indicating a supply chain operating within the state.
Massive Ganja Consignment Intercepted in Bhadohi
In a simultaneous and separate operation, a joint team of the ANTF police station Meerut and the ANTF operational unit from Prayagraj nabbed an inter-state drug smuggler. The arrest was made near Pandey Ji Dhaba on the Prayagraj-Varanasi highway, under the Gopiganj police station limits in Bhadohi district.
The arrested individual, Sonupal, is a resident of Dhipa village in Etah district. From his possession, the task force recovered a staggering 3.9 quintals (390 kilograms) of illegal ganja. The estimated value of this cannabis consignment is approximately Rs 2 crore.
Investigations suggest that this large quantity of ganja was smuggled into Uttar Pradesh from the state of Odisha, highlighting an inter-state smuggling network that the ANTF has successfully disrupted.
A Major Blow to Drug Networks
The twin seizures, totaling narcotics worth over Rs 3.10 crore, represent a major achievement for the Uttar Pradesh police's specialized anti-drug wing. The operations demonstrate a focused strategy to target both local peddling of hard drugs like heroin and the bulk smuggling of cannabis.
The arrest of these three traffickers is expected to provide crucial leads to unravel broader networks operating between districts like Barabanki and Gorakhpur, and across state lines from Odisha. The ANTF has registered cases and is conducting further investigations to identify and apprehend other links in these drug supply chains.
This crackdown is part of the ongoing state-wide campaign against narcotics, which has seen increased vigilance and coordinated actions by police units to stem the flow of illegal drugs in Uttar Pradesh.
