Synthetic drugs the new 'high'

The city has been witnessing a sharp increase in the haul of synthetic drugs this year, which is much more expensive than the normal drugs. The peddlers are mostly foreigners and they supply these drugs to well-heeled city residents, who have large disposable income. A couple of film actors were also recently booked for taking these drugs. Praveen Kumar reports:

Going by the statistics released by city police commissioner, Kamal Pant at his office on Friday, it appears that the clientele for synthetic drugs is rapidly rising in the city. During 2021, there has been a steep rise in the recovery of synthetic drugs by the city police, compared with the previous years.

These drugs are sold in the city mostly by peddlers hailing from foreign countries. The police have arrested 177 foreign drug peddlers in the last year under the Prevention of Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (PITNDPS). The police have also invoked the Goonda Act against two foreign nationals.

Recovered drugs worth more than Rs 50 crore have been destroyed by the city police near Nelamangala.City police commissioner Kamal Pant told NT that “Bengaluru is the place where youngsters earn more and also spend more. International drug traffickers choose Bengaluru, because they know that youngsters have good money. Synthetic drugs cannot be purchased by an ordinary man and only the elite class can afford it. Party circles in the city are also flourishing. The police are on high alert and keep busting drug rackets where synthetic drugs are in demand.”

The commissioner added that celebrity drug rackets involving film actresses were busted and a chargesheet in the case has also been submitted to the court. For the first time, hair follicles of the accused were tested at Hyderabad’s Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL).

Pant further claimed that drug peddlers are now finding it tough to sell drugs in the city, as the police is maintaining a strict vigil. He also spoke about the busting of a racket where peddlers were purchasing synthetic drugs by using Bitcoins in the dark net and also getting drugs delivered to the Foreign Post Office in Chamarajpet.

Due to the tough measures against drug peddlers, there has been an increase in the number of cases registered and also an increase in the number of arrests.