Central Narcotics Bureau Seizes Over 18.6 Kg Crude Heroin, Arrests 3

The Central Bureau of Narcotics has seized 18.64 kg of crude heroin in back-to-back operations near Lucknow and arrested three key members of an inter-state trafficking network, the finance ministry said on Monday.

Comprehensive financial and logistical investigations are underway to trace upstream suppliers in the North-East and dismantle connected downstream distribution channels, it added.

"In a major breakthrough against drug trafficking, officers of the Central Bureau of Narcotics (CBN) MP and UP units successfully executed ‘Operation Black Hawk’, seizing total 18.64 kg crude heroin in back-to-back operations near Lucknow," the ministry said.

Developing first precise inputs from the CBN Madhya Pradesh Unit regarding drug movement from the North-East region to Lucknow, joint teams from CBN MP and Uttar Pradesh units established a strategic cordon along the Sultanpur–Lucknow Highway on the intervening night of August 20–21.

Following continuous tracking at different toll plazas, the CBN strike team intercepted an Assam-registered car near Lucknow on August 21. At the CBN office in Lucknow, technical assistance was utilised to dismantle the fuel tank, exposing a specially fabricated compartment holding 25 waterproof packages containing 16.46 kg of crude heroin. Two suspects were arrested in the case.

In another operation, actionable intelligence developed by the CBN UP Unit indicated a heavy truck transporting contraband along the Siliguri–Lucknow corridor. CBN teams tracked the vehicle across multiple toll plazas before intercepting it near Barabanki. A systematic physical search revealed 2.16 kg crude heroin concealed inside a specially constructed secret chamber within the vehicle’s body frame. One suspect was arrested.

The ministry said all three suspects have been booked under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985. Both transport vehicles and the entire contraband consignment have been confiscated.