Jaipur: After three failed attempts over 10 months, Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) Friday arrested one of the state’s most-wanted drug traffickers from Jodhpur, a man police say built an interstate supply network after learning the trade from two notorious traffickers and later began sourcing large consignments of opium from the Northeast.IG (ANTF) Vikas Kumar said that the accused identified as Shyamsundar alias Sanwararam alias Sanwaria (32) was carrying a reward of Rs 1 lakh and had been listed under Narco-25, a list of major drug traffickers being targeted by Rajasthan Police. He was arrested in Jodhpur.Kumar said Sanwaria had been involved in drug trafficking and other criminal activities for around 15 years and has about 15 cases registered against him. The cases include offences under the NDPS and Arms Acts as well as allegations of assault, theft, attempt to murder and firing at police.What makes Sanwaria particularly significant to investigators is his alleged role in moving drug consignments while actively trying to evade police interception. Police said he had previously been involved in incidents in which traffickers allegedly opened fire at police teams attempting to stop vehicles carrying narcotics.In one such incident in 2020, Sirohi Kotwali police intercepted a vehicle in which Sanwaria and his associates were allegedly travelling with drugs. Police said the group opened fire and escaped. In another case, a police blockade in Jalore’s Bagara was allegedly breached after the group opened fire and fled.Investigators said Sanwaria learnt the mechanics of drug trafficking while working with alleged traffickers Birdaram and Govardhan. He allegedly learnt how to procure, transport and distribute narcotics and evade police surveillance before developing his own network.Police said his operations initially centred on the Rajasthan-Madhya Pradesh border. His network allegedly expanded in 2026 after he came into contact with a Jaisalmer-based trafficker who introduced him to contacts in the Northeast.Investigators now suspect that Sanwaria became a link in a supply chain stretching from Manipur and the Aizawl region of Mizoram through Madhya Pradesh to Rajasthan. Police said he allegedly began bringing larger consignments of opium from the Northeast to the Marwar region for distribution.The arrest is therefore being used to trace not just Sanwaria’s associates but the wider supply chain. ANTF teams are questioning him about suppliers in the Northeast, transporters, intermediaries and receivers in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, as well as consignments allegedly moved through the network.Police said Sanwaria was arrested by Jodhpur Range Cycloner Cell in 2024 in a drug-trafficking case but allegedly resumed his activities after being released from jail.ANTF had been pursuing him for nearly 10 months and made three unsuccessful attempts to apprehend him before finally tracking him down in Jodhpur.
