Kolkata turns into drug transit hub

KOLKATA: Is the city turning into a psychotropic drug transit hub? The seizure list of Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) hints that not only inter-state drug racketeers, international drug lords are also active in the city and fringes and using Kolkata to receive or deliver high-value and banned psychotropic drug consignments to East Asia, Europe and South Africa.At the same time, NCB officers have reasons to believe that a large quantity of traditional narcotics are reaching the city from the northeast for local consumption.Narcotic Control Bureau sources in eastern zone said since April 29, this year, the bureau alone has seized more than 188 kgs of different types of psychotropic drugs from the city and fringes which were destined to either north eastern states or South Africa.NCB officers said that from the NE states, the pills are usually smuggled to Myanmar where the base component of the drug is extracted to manufacture more powerful drugs for supply to east Asian countries and Europe.NCB zonal director Subrata Biswas has confirmed that seven cases have been registered following the seizure of the tablets and 14 persons, including a Zimbabwean woman, are believed to be a part of the international racket. The lady was coming from Delhi and was supposed to go Johannesburg, South Africa. Acting on a tip off NCB officials seized 22.5 kgs Methaqualone tablets. NCB officers have said that such banned drugs are very popular in south Africa and Europe.NCB joint director R K Sahoo on Wednesday said that in a similar manner, NE-based drug mafias are using the city to transport traditional drugs like cannabis and heroin. On Tuesday, NCB officers intercepted a truck bearing Nagaland registration number on National Highway 34 near Barasat. "Almost 1225.7 kgs cannabis were found from the secret chamber of the driver's cabin," said Sahoo. He described the interception as one of the major success in recent past because this time NCB officers managed to round up both the supplier and the receiver."We have arrested Ebocha, a notorious Manipur-based narcotic mafia along with Suresh Kumar Roy alias Rajkumar, who was financing the consignment," said Biswas. He said Ebocha has been active in Kolkata circuit for the last one year. He used to procure the cannabis from different village based farmers of Ukhrul district of Manipur. Roy, who runs a travel agency in Ranchi and a frequent visitor of Guwahati used to finance Ebocha. Roy was supposed to deliver the consignment to Manik Das of Airport locality in north 24 Paraganas. " Manik is an old player in the circuit and now work as a main supplier in Kolkata and northern fringes," said Biswas. NCB also rounded up Yasbir Singh, the owner cum driver of the truck and three other associates of Manik and Ebocha. Biswas said that a week ago, a large consignment of Hashish smuggled from Manali in Himachal Pradesh was intercepted at Sealdah and NCB unearthed a racket active in Picnic Garden area.