Seized drugs worth `25 cr to be reduced to ashes

NT Correspondent
Bengaluru:

Karnataka police said that they will destroy various psychotropic and narcotic substances worth over Rs 25.6 crore on Sunday, to mark the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking or World Drug Day.

According to police sources, the seized drugs so far including brown sugar, heroin, hashish, charas, ganja, cocaine, MDMA powder, MDMA tablets, amphetamine and LSD strips, weighing 21 tonnes, would be incinerated after seeking an approval from the court.

Speaking to News Trail, a senior police official said that the quantum and location cannot be revealed as of now due to security reasons. “Special drives like mass destruction of drugs are conducted once in two years or during a rare occasion when a major consignment is seized,” the official said.

According to the reports from the police, 8,505 cases have been registered under Narcotoc Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (NDPS) in the last 12 months, leading to the arrest of 7,846 people involved in such cases.

Among the arrested, 185 accused were identified to be foriegn nationals. The police claimed to have solved 5,363 drug cases so far. However, last year, police recorded 4,066 cases registered under the NDPS Act.

Karnataka Director General and Inspector General of Police (DG & IGP), Praveen Sood, had said that the massive seizure worth Rs 50.23 crore, included nearly 24,000 kg of marijuana. Police had arrested 5,291 people in connection with illegal drugs cases last year until June 2021. The previous year, drugs weighing 24 tonnes were incinerated at a district headquarters in the state.