BSF busts major phensedyl smuggling racket along Indo-Bangladesh border

In a joint operation with local police, the BSF uncovered three underground storerooms along the Indo-Bangladesh Border in West Bengal, seizing 62,200 bottles of Phensedyl, valued at over Rs 1.4 crore

Kolkata: Ahead of Republic Day, the Border Security Force (BSF) claims to have busted a major smuggling racket along the Indo-Bangladesh Border (IBB) in West Bengal’s Nadia district.

In a joint operation with the local police, the BSF located three underground storerooms on Saturday where 62,200 bottles of Phensedyl were stored.

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Phensedyl is a banned codeine-based cough syrup that is smuggled across the IBB to Bangladesh, where it is sold at high prices as a recreational drug. The value of the seized bottles is around Rs 1,40,58,444.

Such a huge seizure took all of us by surprise. The smuggling of Phensedyl is a major problem but we weren’t aware of this modus operandi of storing huge quantities close to the border for easier transportation. The BSF and police teams were acting on accurate and reliable intelligence inputs.

Troops of the 32 Bn BSF, posted at the Tungi Border Outpost and officials from Kishanganj police station carried out the cordon and search operation in the Naghata area of Majhdia town.

The seizure is a big blow to the smuggling syndicate that operates in that area, said N K Pandey, DIG and spokesperson, South Bengal Frontier, BSF.

He said that of the three storerooms, two were under dense vegetation, while the third was under a hut built of corrugated galvanised iron (CGI) sheets.

DIG Pandey said that unfortunately for the men in uniform, there were no people inside when the raid was carried out.

Officials are not writing off the possibility of lookouts being posted by the smugglers to keep a watch on any movement by the authorities.

This is possible in such a large-scale racket in which crores of rupees are involved. Though only 62,200 bottles were found during the raid, the storage facility had the capacity to hold more stock, which may already have been sent across the border, he said.

DIG Pandey said that the bottles, neatly packed in cartons, have been handed over to the concerned department for necessary legal action.

He added that the police are trying to locate the source and the supply chain that operates from the manufacturing units to the border areas.

More information is being gathered on this complex network of smugglers and this may lead to bigger revelations in the future, said DIG Pandey.