Two drug peddlers were arrested at Charampa in Bhadrak district by Central Excise Intelligence officials on Sunday.
The excise officials had mounted surveillance on the accused in Bhadrak town over the past few days. The team nabbed the drug peddlers when they were travelling by a motorcycle, near an over-bridge at Charampa in the morning.
During search, they recovered 81 grams of brown sugar worth over Rs 8 lakh from their possession.
The arrested persons were identified as residents of Dolasahi village under Tihidi block in Bhadrak district.
The duo was running illegal narcotics trade in Jajpur and Bhadrak districts by procuring brown sugar from Jaleswar area in Baleswar district. They were actively involved in the business as the liquor shops were off during lockdown, informed Central Excise Intelligence Inspector Jagdish Chandra Samal.