Drug trafficker arrested, poppy husk seized

An alleged drug trafficker has been arrested with 1440-kg poppy husk, worth about Rs 30 lakh in the domestic market.
Azad Singh (22) was apprehended on Saturday from Anaj Mandi on Nazafgarh-Bahadurgarh road by the Crime Branch after a tip off, police said today.
"An input was received that Balaram, a resident of Mandsaur, Madhya Pradesh would be sending a consignment of poppy husk to his client in Panipat, Haryana through his truck driver Azad.
"It was also learnt that Balaram, in connivance with local contractors, used to supply poppy husk in Punjab, Haryana and Delhi," said Additional Commissioner of Police (Crime) Ravindra Yadav.

A trap was laid and the truck driver was arrested, he said.
During search of the truck poppy husk weighing 1440-kg, packed in 36 gunny bags and covered with 60 bags of coriander powder, was recovered, police said.
"A new modus operandi has been noticed in recent cases of drug trafficking. The drug traffickers are loading substances like lemon or coriander powder over drugs to avoid their detection through smell. These drugs are camouflaged beneath the other material," said Yadav.