The Varanasi unit of the ATS arrested four Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) constables and a factory employee on Tuesday for their active involvement in the racket.

The team has seized 3.20 kg of morphine — worth over Rs 3 crore — and Rs 16 lakh cash from the accused.

Rajiv Sabbarwal, the ATS DIG, said: “The cash and drugs were recovered from the rooms of the constables in the CISF residential compound. A group of about 10 factory employees was engaged in stealing morphine and heroin from the unit in connivance with the CISF men for the last several months.”

The CISF constables engaged in the racket are Narayan Yadav, Heeralal Singh, Satyendra Kumar Singh and Devendra Kumar. The ATS team simultaneously conducted raids on the rooms of the constables and a worker. The search continued till Tuesday morning.

The group was in regular contact of drug peddlers in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and West Bengal, who used to receive consignments from Gha-zipur and sell these to gangs involved in drug smuggling, he added.

The ADG Law & Order (West), A K Jain, said the arrested persons have told the police that the factory workers involved in the trade stole around 50 kg of drugs (morphine or heroin) on an average every month.

The stolen stuff was taken out of the factory usually during the night or early morning hours when the four CISF constables were on duty.

“The accused would be taken on police remand for extensive interrogation, as more details about the network engaged in the racket have to be retrieved,” DIG Sabbarwal said.

The ATS has details about the drug peddlers and other factory employees involved in the racket and more arrests would be made soon, the DIG said.