Drugs haul points to NB, Sikkim racket -

SNS, SILIGURI, 24 JANUARY 2021: Investigations in connection with the seizure of brown sugar from Siliguri have revealed that the accused had been operating drug net-works in north Bengal districts and Sikkim.

The Special Task Force (STF) , Siliguri, seized 10 grams of brown sugar, Rs 17,25,180, in cash, two digital weighing machines, two heat sealing machines and one note counting machine after raiding a rented house at Asraf Nagar under  he Bhaktinagar police station in Siliguri on 22 January.

The seizure had been made in connection with the arrest of three persons from a heroine manufacturing den in Gankar village under the Raghunathganj police station in Murshidabad district in a joint raid by the STF, Kolkata, and the police earlier this month.

"During the course of investigation, the STF came to know that three more persons of the same gang had taken a rented house at Asraf Nagar in Siliguri two years ago of drug peddling in the region. There can be involvement of more persons in the same racket, which has been expanded in north Bengal districts like Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Alipurduar, Cooch Behar, except for MaIda and North Dinajpur districts, and even in the neighbouring state of Sikkim," an STF source said.

Questions have been raised as to how the persons had been actively operating the network from the rented house in the town for the past two years without being caught.