Two held with 88kg cannabis in Dinajpur

Police arrested two alleged drug traffickers and seized 88 kilograms of cannabis during a pre-dawn anti-narcotics operation in Kaharole upazila of Dinajpur on Wednesday.

Later, the two accused were produced before a court, police said.

According to police, the seized cannabis has an estimated market value of Tk1.76 million in the illicit market.

The arrestees were identified as Ranjan Chandra Roy, 28, of Gornur village under Sundarpur Union in Kaharole upazila, and Shafiqul Islam, 52, son of Abdur Rashid of Chirirbandar upazila.

The operation was carried out around 3:30am on 5 August following a tip-off. The raid was led by Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Moniruzzaman of the Kaharole-Bochaganj Circle and Officer-in-Charge (OC) Selimur Rahman Selim of Kaharole Police Station.

Police intercepted a Mahindra Bolero Maxi Plus pickup van in the 11-Mile area on the Thakurgaon-Dinajpur highway and recovered 88 kilograms of cannabis during a search of the vehicle. The pickup was also seized.

In a joint statement, ASP Moniruzzaman and OC Selimur Rahman Selim said the operation was conducted as part of ongoing efforts to curb drug trafficking in the district.

Law enforcement officials reiterated that anti-drug operations would continue to dismantle narcotics networks operating in the region.