From ganja and codeine-based cough syrup to smack and synthetic drugs, a series of major seizures this year in Prayagraj highlighted the city’s evolving role in the interstate narcotics trade.
Police investigations revealed that the unit had been operating for roughly seven months, during which time nearly 300kg of MD had already been manufactured and distributed to major markets. Enforcement agencies, including the Special Task Force (STF), local police and railway authorities, have made several significant seizures throughout the year: On June 25, a joint team of the Government Railway Police (GRP) and Railway Protection Force (RPF) arrested an alleged smuggler at Cheoki railway station and recovered 477 bottles of banned codeine-based cough syrup. Again on September 6, industrial area police arrested two ganja smugglers during a routine check, recovering 1.024kg of cannabis. On September 19, the STF arrested another smuggler and recovered 198kg of ganja (estimated at ₹ 50 lakh), which had been concealed beneath a load of coal in a truck destined for northern markets. Following that on September 27, the STF raided a rented house in Katahula Gauspur, under the Airport police station limits, and arrested three individuals—Ashutosh Tiwari, Ankesh Kumar, and Amit Prajapati. Authorities recovered 19,338 bottles of codeine-based cough syrup and 61,600 generic drug tablets, with an estimated value of ₹ 1 crore. The most significant development occurred on September 3, when the Maharashtra Police Crime Branch (Mira-Bhayandar, Vasai-Virar) busted a clandestine synthetic drug manufacturing unit at Kosada Kala in the Manda area of Prayagraj. The operation uncovered a complex interstate cartel involving 21 arrests across Maharashtra, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh.
Prayagraj’s geographical position makes it highly attractive to interstate drug networks, according to additional commissioner of police (ACP) Ajay Pal Sharma.
