BSF Seizes Rs 3 Crore Worth of Phensedyl Hidden Under Potato Sacks in Assam

Guwahati: Border Security Force (BSF) has seized a large consignment of contraband cough syrup bottles concealed under potato sacks during a special operation at Patharkandi in Assam’s Sribhumi district, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Tuesday.

According to the Chief Minister, BSF personnel recovered 30,000 bottles of Phensedyl, estimated to be worth around Rs 3 crore, during the operation.

Sharing details on X, Sarma said the smugglers had attempted to hide the illegal consignment beneath sacks of potatoes in an effort to evade detection.

“30,000 bottles of Phensedyl worth ₹3 crore hiding under potato sacks busted at Patharkandi, Sribhumi,” he wrote.

Taking a swipe at the smugglers, the Chief Minister added, “In Assam, even vegetables don’t cover for smugglers,” while praising the alertness of the BSF personnel involved in the operation.

Sarma also lauded the role of BSF jawans in preventing the consignment from reaching its destination and reiterated the state’s commitment to cracking down on drug trafficking and cross-border smuggling.

“Kudos to our BSF jawans,” he said.

In October last year, security agencies had unearthed a major drug consignment from a goods train that had arrived from Delhi.

Acting on specific intelligence inputs, a joint team of security personnel carried out an intensive search of the train while it was stationed at Jirania railway station in West Tripura district.

During the operation, the team recovered around 90,000 bottles of the banned Eskuf cough syrup, a senior official said.

The syrup contains Codeine Phosphate and Triprolidine Hydrochloride, substances that are widely abused as narcotics in India and are also illegally trafficked to neighbouring Bangladesh.

As per officials, the seized consignment was valued at approximately Rs 4.5 crore in the illicit market.

The recovered drugs were subsequently taken into custody for further investigation, the official added.

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