BSF seizes Bangladesh-bound truck carrying contraband

A truck loaded with Bangladesh-bound contraband worth millions was detained by the Border Security Force (BSF) in Agartala, Tripura, on Wednesday.

Acting on an intelligence input, a team of BSF personnel along with custom and state police stopped a truck with a Assam number plate near the Usha Bazar border area on Wednesday morning.

Around 9,300 bottles of Phenesdyl cough syrup were found hidden under the sacks of cement.

"Today, we have seized 9,300 bottles of Phensedyl in a truck of cement. We did the operation with the help of BSF and the total value of the seizure is around Rs.2.7 million," said Customs Inspector Sraban Sourab.

However, there was no arrest as the truck driver and helper managed to flee.

This is the second big seizure in a week's time. Last week, a truck carrying 65,000 bottles of the contraband was recovered by BSF during a joint operation.

The cough syrup is widely used as a recreational drug and smuggled to neighboring countries.

A bottle of Phensedyl is sold for four times the price in Nepal and Bangladesh, where it is banned.

India is concerned about the smuggling of contraband and drugs, as Bangladesh has raised this issue at various levels.

During the last two years, the BSF had made continuous effort to curb smuggling of drugs to Bangladesh and destroyed worth several millions.