Odisha Police destroys over 8 kg brown sugar

Bhubaneswar: Odisha Police’s Special Task force (STF) destroyed over 8.746 kg Brown Sugar, seized from several accused persons, at a designated incinerator on Tuesday.

The destruction order was given by the State Drug Disposal Committee. The contraband was destroyed at Sani Clean Pvt. Ltd. at Tangiapada in Khurda district following all due procedures, STF sources here said.

The piling up of seized drugs has been a cause of concern and the Supreme Court has passed a detailed order on the disposal/ destruction of seized drugs especially emphasising their pre-trial disposal of seized drugs. However, because of some procedural and technical ambiguity/ issues, seized drugs could not be disposed off in Odisha.

In recent years during the massive campaign against narcotics especially Ganja (also known as Cannabis/ Marijuana/ weeds) and Brown sugar (also known as Heroin/ smack) by Odisha Police, there has been a huge piling up of seized narcotic drugs.

As the trial of narcotics cases takes time, these seized drugs remain stocked at police stations/ court Malkhanas exposed to all kinds of vulnerabilities. Against this backdrop, STF approached the Orissa High Court with a prayer for certain direction/ order to resolve the issues/ hindrances involved in disposing of the seized drugs.

Finally, on January 31, 2022, the Odisha High Court passed a landmark judgment directing the subordinate courts to dispose of the applications. The seized drugs/Ganja was first authenticated/ certificated by the court concerned and handed over to the Drug disposal committee for disposal/ destruction.

To date, STF has destroyed/disposed of 21.56 kg brown sugar in 16 cases and 18 quintals 17 kg ganja in five cases.