Bhubaneswar, Jan. 15: Police claimed to have seized 634 grams of brown sugar from various places across the city last year and touted it as a major achievement for the force.

In reality, however, network of drug peddlers remains widespread and they have managed to turn Bhubaneswar into a haven for peddling contraband.

The seizure of brown sugar having a market value of Rs 60 lakh was the highest in a single year since the inception of a separate commissionerate in 2008.

According to official statistics, the cops managed to recover only 8.7 grams of brown sugar in Bhubaneswar between 2011 and 2015. While there was no seizure of the contraband between 2011 and 2014, the police recovered 8.7 grams in 2015 alone.

Several residents felt that the failure of the police to crack down on peddlers five years ago had resulted in the proliferation of the brown sugar racket.

"The sale of brown sugar was low five years back. Most peddlers were involved in the ganja trade at that time. Besides, the sale of brown sugar was restricted to habitual addicts," a police official said, on the condition of anonymity.

Sources said over the years, the peddlers have started adopting different ways to conceal the contraband. "It's very difficult to conceal ganja, which is procured in kilograms. But in the case of brown sugar, the peddlers have become very smart. During raids, we have found peddlers hiding the drug inside shoes, ice cream containers and even in rice containers, which makes it difficult for us to seize it," said a city excise official.

The contraband is mostly smuggled into Odisha from states such as Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Bengal. Small time traders in slums procure it from Balasore and its adjoining areas and sell it in the capital at hefty margins.

The city police decided to crack down on drug peddling after an engineering student died of an overdose of an alleged brown sugar overdose last May. "The most difficult part of detecting such rackets is gathering intelligence. We have to often depend on addicts, but they cannot be relied on completely. If we send decoys, the peddlers don't sell to them out of suspicion," said another police official.

Deputy commissioner of police Satyabrata Bhoi said the police had created a database of the city's peddlers, who have been arrested in the past.

"We have directed local police stations to keep track of the peddlers after they are released on bail. Besides, we are keeping a close watch on slums where the contraband is sold," said Bhoi.