40kg Opium Seized, Drug Racket Busted Across India

Bihar Drug Racket: Patna police and the STF's Narcotics Cell have busted a large inter-state drug racket, seizing over 40 kilograms of opium and arresting four smugglers. The smugglers sourced opium from Jharkhand, processed it in Patna, and supplied it to Punjab and other states. The seized goods are estimated to be worth approximately ₹4 crore.

Seizure Based on Tip-off

Patna police received a tip-off that a large consignment of opium would be transported in a green auto-rickshaw to Kachhuara village in the Gopalpur police station area. Based on this information, a special team was formed under the direction of Senior Superintendent of Police Kartikeya Sharma, led by East SP Parijhay Kumar and Sadar DSP-2 Ranjan Kumar.

Identification of Smugglers

In a raid conducted on 28 August 2025, police arrested four smugglers: Mukesh Kumar (Nalanda), Ajit Kumar (39, Bokaro, Jharkhand), Shrawan Kumar (22, Chatra, Jharkhand), and Jayram Bharti (26, Chatra, Jharkhand).

Drugs Recovered

During the search, police seized 40.178 kilograms of opium, 2.270 kilograms of poppy husk, 88.81 kilograms of doda-pati powder, ₹6,62,900 in cash, documents related to 14 bank accounts, land documents worth ₹1.5 crore, a fixed deposit of ₹40 lakh, two motorcycles, an auto-rickshaw, six mobile phones, an electronic weighing scale, and a 4HP mixer machine. During interrogation, the main accused, Mukesh, revealed that he had been involved in this business for the past 10 years, bringing opium from Gaya in Jharkhand and supplying it to Punjab and other states.

Raids in Other Districts of Bihar and Jharkhand

Patna SSP Kartikeya Sharma stated that this operation has dealt a significant blow to the drug trafficking network. Police are now conducting raids in other districts of Bihar and Jharkhand to apprehend others involved in this racket. Sources indicate that a truck carrying a consignment of opium has been dispatched towards Punjab, and police have issued alerts to intercept it.