Zero tolerance towards drug abuse: Bengaluru Police Commissioner

Hameed Ashraf | NT

Bengaluru: As drug abuse and illicit trafficking continue to pose a significant threat to the people, the police who have waged a "war on drugs" continue to be on high alert to keep narcotics from reaching youngsters.

In a special enforcement drive conducted by the Bengaluru police at educational institutions, as many as 1,003 cases were reported against drug consumers in the last one month. Speaking to News Trail on the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking on Monday, Police Commissioner B Dayananda said that the seizures made by the police reveal that ganja (cannabis) consumers are more in numbers than other drugs.

Last month, 130 cases were reported against drug peddlers in the city, he informed. The seizures made by the cops during the drive included 204.128 kg ganja, 1.195 kgs of hashish oil, about 0.768 kg opium and 1.311 kgs of synthetic drugs.

Besides, 123 methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) ecstasy tablets and 70 strips of lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) were also seized during the drive. In addition, 171 cases were registered under Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COPTA), the police said.

Apart from seizure of drugs, from 2022 till June 2023 the Bengaluru police registered a total of 6,191 cases that include 7,723 Indians and 159 foreigners for peddling and consuming drugs. Among these, the police claimed to have registered 943 cases against drug peddlers and 5,248 cases against consumers.

Further, the Commissioner said that Bengaluru city cops recovered drugs worth Rs 117 crore weighing about 6,261 kg.

Among the drugs seized by the police, was ganja in large quantities amounting to 6,074.685 kgs followed by 5.5 kgs of hashish oil, 2.554 kg of brown sugar, 15.689 kgs of opium, 52.679 kgs of MDMA tablets, synthetic drugs of about 109.914 kg, 3.406 kgs ecstasy tablets and 1.372 kgs of LSD. Police said that permission has been obtained from the Court to destroy Rs 21 crore worth of seized drugs, and steps would be initiated to destroy them in a scientific manner in the coming days.

On March 24 this year, seized drugs including 8,199 ecstasy tablets and 584 kgs of LSD tablet strips, worth Rs 92 crore were destroyed by the city police.

The police also said that the effort to track and dismantle networks pushing synthetic drugs has been more challenging due to the usage of ‘Darknet’ by the peddlers.

"On a rough estimate, over 80 per cent of synthetic drugs we recovered were sourced through Darknet," an official said.

Commissioner Dayananda also said that the public must unite with the police in order to eradicate the drug menace from the city.

As a part of the drive against drugs, B Dayananda unveiled the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) portal, which will help the Karnataka police track records of the accused in drug cases. He also unveiled a QR code where the public can take a pledge to stand against drug abuse. "Bengaluru is a global city, with a vibrant middle-class, considerable disposable income and pub culture. There will always be a market for narcotics in the city.

If the supply source is not neutralised, narcotics will keep flooding the city. This is a constant fight, and we need to be ever-vigilant," a City Crime Branch (CCB) official said.