Sambalpur: A joint team of police and Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB)¬¬ arrested a man for his alleged involvement in smuggling drugs and links to inter-state drug networks from Odisha’s Sambalpur district on Wednesday.
Sources said the accused, identified as Satish Pradhan, was apprehended from Dhanupali area of Sambalpur.
Acting on specific intelligence, a joint team of police and NCB officials nabbed Satish and seized one quintal of ganja from him. Two other associates, who hail from Jajpur district, were also arrested. They will be forwarded to court today.
Police sources said Satish is a wanted criminal with at least eight cases pending against him, including at Phulbani and Sambalpur. It is suspected that he allegedly used his hotel in Balikuda as a front, to store and smuggle drugs to other states such as Keralam, Maharashtra and West Bengal.
He has been booked under relevant sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. Further investigation is ongoing to uncover more associates and dismantle the drug smuggling syndicate.
