Kolkata, 07 July (H.S.) : The Special Task Force (STF) of the West Bengal Police arrested two alleged drug traffickers and seized approximately 3.5 kg of brown sugar during a late-night operation at Rathkhola More in the Naxalbari area on Monday.

The arrested accused have been identified as Mizanul Sheikh and Nasim Sheikh, both residents of Baishnabnagar in Malda district. The contraband was recovered from a market bag found in their possession.

According to preliminary investigations, the two had travelled from Malda to Naxalbari by bus and were allegedly planning to deliver the narcotics to local contacts. Acting on specific intelligence inputs, the STF laid a trap and apprehended the suspects before the consignment could be handed over.

The STF said the accused had allegedly been involved in drug trafficking for a considerable period while managing to evade law enforcement agencies.

Following the seizure, the two accused were handed over to Naxalbari Police Station for further legal proceedings. They are scheduled to be produced before the Siliguri Sub-Divisional Court on Tuesday.

Police have launched an investigation to identify the intended recipient of the consignment and to trace other members of the alleged drug trafficking network.

Hindusthan Samachar / Satya Prakash Singh