Kochi City police tighten noose around drug peddling networks through intensified enforcement drive
The Kochi City police have tightened the noose around drug peddling networks through intensified enforcement drive by further strengthening the District Anti-Narcotic Special Action Force (DANSAF) considerably.
An additional two sub inspectors and 30-odd police personnel have been enlisted in DANSAF led by the Narcotics Cell Assistant Commissioner. DANSAF has been conducting coordinated drives with the local police since then.
“The impact of the intensified drive is visible from the increased seizures and arrests. We now conduct inspections along public places with dog squads, while checking along black spots like the Kaloor stadium area is conducted at least once a week,” said District Police Chief (Kochi City) S. Syamsundar.
Ganja is mostly smuggled in from places like Odisha and Andhra Pradesh and is largely circulated among migrant workers. However, synthetic drugs are mostly smuggled in from Bengaluru. Meth, and not MDMA as is widely reported, continues to be the overwhelming favourite among peddlers, said Mr. Syamsundar.
“Drug peddling mostly remains a direct personal exchange among closed groups of friends and colleagues. Social media platforms like WhatsApp and Instagram are being increasingly misused for the purpose. Meth is easily available in Bengaluru thanks to the presence of African nationals who cook it,” he said.
Public transport is also being used to smuggle in synthetic drugs owing to the convenience of hiding them in small quantities. Even a gram of Meth, which is sold at around ₹4,000 to ₹5,000, easily fetches around ₹2.50 lakh on selling as little as 50 grams.
Another disturbing factor is the increasing involvement of women. Around 30% of the accused arrested now are women, and almost all of them are aged below 30 years.
“As long as there is demand for a product, it will find a way in. Also, the margins in offer also serve as a great lure both of which is true in the case of drug peddling. That’s why despite the dip in trade following seizures and arrests, supply gets invariably restored,” said Mr. Syamsundar.
On Wednesday alone, the city police arrested 30 persons in 26 different cases under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act.
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