In a major drive to clamp down on the secret network of synthetic drug pushers and step up local surveillance, the police have identified and prepared a list of major hotspots in the north zone districts.
The support of 20 senior police officers was sourced for the initiative that was launched under the direct supervision of Inspector General of Police (North Zone) Neeraj Kumar Gupta.
“We are aware that the hotspots will be changing with the heightened vigil, but there will be constant monitoring by plainclothesmen. In just two months, we nabbed over 600 persons suspected in various drug trafficking cases from such spots,” he told The Hindu here on Friday.
Mr. Gupta said the officers associated with the drive had also done a scientific route analysis connecting various hotspots to strengthen flash inspections. According to him, Kozhikode district was found to have the highest number of such hotspots marked with the presence of young drug peddlers.
“In the recent drive, a majority of the arrested were youngsters. In the list of newly identified hotspots, there are areas closer to educational institutions, tourism spots, and places of other important commercial activities,” he said. On the stringent measures in place to nab frequent offenders, he said efforts were on to forfeit their illegally acquired properties and ensure that they got the longest jail term by invoking grave sections under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act.
According to the latest figures released by the police, the total number of commercial quantity drug seizures between January 2018 and December 2022 in the State was 343. In the case of medium quantity, it was 3,896. A steady increase was recorded in the detection of both commercial and medium quantity cases with the systematic methodology adopted by the police.
During the same period, narcotic cases related to personal consumption was 47,168. The highest number of 23,352 cases were detected in 2022 through intensified action. The seizure of synthetic drugs alone was 20,914 grams. There was a 40% increase in 2022 when compared to the figures of 2018. The seizure of ganja too witnessed a spike. According to official figures, the police seized 12,391 kg of ganja in the last five years in the State.
The intensified action against drug peddlers began after creating a database of 6,155 suspected persons in the State. As many as 2,372 rowdy history sheets were prepared by all police stations. Initiation of action under Section 107 of the CrPC was also noteworthy where bonds were executed against convicts for preventing them from further involvement in drug trafficking.
Cancellation of bail and enhanced punishments for repeated offences under Section 31 of the NDPS Act were also found making headway in countering the menace.
