CBN Busts Major Drug Trafficking Ring in Uttar Pradesh
In a significant victory against drug trafficking, the Central Bureau of Narcotics (CBN) successfully carried out **‘Operation Black Hawk’**, leading to the seizure of **18.64 kg of crude heroin** in coordinated operations near Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh. The operation resulted in the arrest of three individuals linked to an inter-state drug trafficking network, with the contraband reportedly originating from a North-Eastern state intended for distribution in Uttar Pradesh.
Acting on precise intelligence from the CBN’s Madhya Pradesh unit about drug movement from the North-East, teams from the CBN’s Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh units set up a strategic checkpoint along the Sultanpur–Lucknow Highway during the night of August 20–21, 2026. The operation was meticulously planned, with officers tracking suspect vehicles moving through various toll plazas.
On August 21, authorities intercepted an Assam-registered Hyundai Creta near Lucknow. Initially empty, the vehicle’s occupants insisted on their innocence, but their story raised suspicions when they revealed they had refueled four times over a distance of just 500 kilometers. A physical inspection of the fuel tank showed a hollow acoustic anomaly. After transporting the vehicle to the CBN office in Lucknow, agents used technical support to dismantle the fuel tank, uncovering 25 waterproof packages containing **16.46 kg of crude heroin**. The two suspects in the vehicle were subsequently arrested.
In a follow-up operation, the CBN’s UP unit uncovered additional intelligence regarding a heavy truck suspected of carrying contraband via the Siliguri–Lucknow corridor. CBN teams monitored the vehicle across multiple toll plazas and later intercepted it near Barabanki. A thorough search of the truck revealed **2.16 kg of crude heroin** hidden in a specially designed secret compartment within its body frame, leading to the arrest of an additional suspect.
All three individuals apprehended in these operations have been charged under the **Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985**. The CBN has also impounded both transport vehicles involved and confiscated the entire shipment of drugs. Ongoing investigations aim to trace the upstream suppliers in the North-East and to disrupt the networks responsible for distributing these substances further downstream.
Key seizures at a glance:
* **Total Seized Drugs:** 18.64 kg (16.46 kg from the car and 2.16 kg from the heavy truck)
* **Vehicles Impounded:** One Assam-registered Hyundai Creta and one heavy commercial truck.
* **Total Arrests:** 3 suspects (charged under the NDPS Act, 1985)
* **Concealment Methods:** Modified fuel tank and hidden compartments within the truck’s frame.
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