Even though the Excise Department has made some seizures of drugs in the last few months in the city, the narcotics trade continues to flourish and the Haladipadia slum under the Laxmisagar police station has turned into a safe haven for drug peddlers.
In a glaring example, the Excise Department officials seized 100 grams of brown sugar from Haladipadia slum on Friday and arrested a woman in connection with the case. The market price of the seized brown sugar is estimated to be Rs 20 lakh.
As per reports, the contraband items were being sold in small packets through agents including minor boys.
Earlier on September 2, excise sleuths had seized brown sugar worth over Rs 10 lakh from a youth identified as Sanjeev Lal. Lal hailing from Bihar was nabbed during raids conducted at the Haladipadia slum.
Notably, more than a dozen cases of brown sugar seizures have been reported from the city in the last three months.