The Kochi City police arrested 153 people in 137 cases registered under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act in September alone.
The drive was jointly carried out by the District Anti-Narcotics Special Action Force (DANSAF) and the Kochi City police. DANSAF is led by the Narcotic Cell Assistant Commissioner and four inspectors. While taking charge last month, District Police Chief (Kochi City) Putta Vimaladitya had singled out curbing drug menace as one of his priorities.
More than 50 kg of ganja, 83.89 grams of MDMA, cocaine, brown sugar, hashish oil, and ecstasy pills were reportedly seized by the police last month. The arrests and seizures were the outcome of intensified surveillance of history-sheeters at lodges, parks, hotels, roadside eateries, railway stations, and bus stands.
Steps are also being taken to attach the properties and vehicles of the accused under the Prevention of Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act. “Stringent action will be taken against elements involved in anti-social activities like drug trafficking and peddling,” said Mr. Vimaladitya.
The city police had recently strengthened DANSAF as part of tightening the noose around drug peddling networks through intensified enforcement drive. An additional two sub inspectors and 30-odd police personnel were enlisted in DANSAF led by the Narcotic Cell Assistant Commissioner. The city police attribute the increased number of arrests and seizures to the strengthened DANSAF.
As part of the intensified drive, inspections are held in public places with dog squads, besides checking along black spots like the Kaloor stadium area at least once in a week.
It has been found that social media platforms like WhatsApp and Instagram are allegedly being misused for drug deals. Meth is easily available in Bengaluru thanks to the presence of African nationals with the knowhow to cook it, said sources.
Public transport is reportedly being used to smuggle in synthetic drugs owing to the convenience of hiding it in small quantities. Even a gram of Meth, which is sold at ₹4,000 to ₹5,000, easily fetches around ₹2.50 lakh on selling as little as 50 grams, they said.
Published – October 08, 2024 01:16 am IST