Executive Summary
The Central Bureau of Narcotics (CBN) MP and UP units successfully executed ‘Operation Black Hawk’ on August 20–21, 2026, dismantling an inter-state drug syndicate. The operation resulted in the seizure of 18.64 kg of crude heroin and the arrest of three key trafficking members. Follow-up financial and logistical investigations are now underway to dismantle the remaining supply and distribution networks.
Key Points / Main Content
Operational Overview
Joint Action: The operation was a coordinated effort between the CBN Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh units based on precise intelligence.
Route: The trafficking network moved contraband from North-Eastern States for consumption in Uttar Pradesh.
Cordon: Strategic checkpoints were established along the Sultanpur–Lucknow Highway and the Siliguri–Lucknow corridor.
Specific Seizures
First Interception: An Assam-registered Hyundai Creta was intercepted near Lucknow; 16.46 kg of crude heroin was found in 25 waterproof packages.
Second Interception: A heavy truck was intercepted near Barabanki following intelligence regarding the Siliguri–Lucknow corridor; 2.16 kg of crude heroin was recovered.
Total Contraband: A total of 18.64 kg of crude heroin was seized across both operations.
Concealment and Detection
Methods: Traffickers used specially fabricated compartments in a vehicle's fuel tank and secret chambers within a truck's body frame.
Detection: Officers identified the first vehicle's involvement after occupants disclosed refueling four times within 500 km, leading to a "tapping test" that revealed a hollow acoustic anomaly in the fuel tank.
Legal and Investigative Status
Arrests: Three suspects were arrested and booked under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985.
Confiscations: Both transport vehicles and the entire consignment of drugs were seized.
Ongoing Investigation: Authorities are tracing upstream suppliers in the North-East and downstream distribution channels.
Impact Analysis
Central Bureau of Narcotics (CBN)Impact
Successfully disrupted a major inter-state trafficking route and validated joint-unit intelligence sharing.
Action Required
Execute follow-up financial and logistical investigations to identify and dismantle the broader network.
Trafficking Syndicate MembersImpact
Three members are currently arrested and facing prosecution under the stringent provisions of the NDPS Act.
Action Required
Must undergo legal proceedings; vehicles and contraband have been confiscated by the state.
North-East Suppliers and UP DistributorsImpact
The supply chain from the North-East to Uttar Pradesh has been exposed, putting connected parties under investigative scrutiny.
Action Required
The document indicates these entities are the current targets of active tracing and dismantling efforts by the CBN.
Key Entities Referenced
Central Bureau of Narcotics (CBN): The primary enforcement agency responsible for executing 'Operation Black Hawk' and seizing over 18 kg of crude heroin.
Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985: The primary legal framework under which the trafficking suspects were arrested and booked.
Operation Black Hawk: The specific enforcement initiative led by CBN MP and UP units to dismantle an inter-state heroin syndicate.
Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh: The central location where the strategic cordon and seizures occurred and the primary consumption market for the trafficked drugs.
Ministry of Finance
CBN busts inter-state heroin syndicate in ‘Op
Black Hawk’; seizes over 18.6 kg crude heroin
Three members of inter-state trafficking network arrested
Posted On: 24 AUG 2026 10:03AM by PIB Delhi
In a major breakthrough against drug trafficking, officers of the Central Bureau of Narcotics (CBN) MP
and UP Units successfully executed ‘Operation Black Hawk’, seizing total 18.64 kg crude heroin in
back-to-back operations near Lucknow (U.P.). Three key members of an inter-state trafficking network
have been arrested. The contraband originated from North-Eastern State and were being trafficked for
consumption in Uttar Pradesh.
Developing first precise inputs from the CBN MP Unit regarding drug movement from the North-East
region to Lucknow, joint teams from CBN MP and UP units established a strategic cordon along the
Sultanpur–Lucknow Highway on the intervening night of August 20–21, 2026.
Following continuous tracking from at different Toll Plazas, the strike team intercepted an Assam-
registered Hyundai Creta at near Lucknow on August 21. The vehicle was found empty and the occupants
claimed innocence. Operational officers grew suspicious when the vehicle’s occupants on questioning
disclosed to have refueled four times within a span of just 500 km. A physical tapping test of the fuel tank
confirmed a hollow acoustic anomaly. At the CBN Office in Lucknow, technical assistance was utilized to
dismantle the fuel tank, exposing a specially fabricated compartment holding 25 waterproof packages
containing 16.46 kg of crude heroin. Both suspects were arrested.In another (second) actionable intelligence developed by the CBN UP Unit indicated a heavy truck
transporting contraband along the Siliguri–Lucknow corridor. CBN teams tracked the vehicle across
multiple toll plazas before intercepting it near Barabanki. A systematic physical search revealed 2.16 kg
crude heroin concealed inside a specially constructed secret chamber within the vehicle’s body frame.
One suspect was arrested.All three suspects have been booked under stringent provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic
Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985. Both transport vehicles and the entire contraband consignment have been
confiscated. Comprehensive follow-up financial and logistical investigations are currently underway to
trace upstream suppliers in the North-East and dismantle connected downstream distribution channels.
Key seizures at a glance
Total Seized Drugs: 18.64 kg (16.48 kg from a Car and 2.16 kg from a heavy commercial vehicle)
Vehicles Impounded: one Assam-registered Hyundai Creta, one Heavy Commercial Truck.
Total Arrests: 3 Suspects (arrested under the NDPS Act, 1985)
Concealment Methods: Fabricated fuel tank cavity and secret body chambers in Truck.
****
SR/KMN
(Release ID: 2302577) Visitor Counter : 3685
Read this release in: Bengali , Assamese , Urdu , Gujarati , Marathi , ही , Bengali-TR , Punjabi , Tamil , Telugu , Malayalam