Delhi cops upped the ante in fight against drugs

Sep 18,2023

NEW DELHI: Reflecting an enhanced crackdown by the police on drug trafficking, the first six months of 2023 saw a 15.7% increase in registration of cases under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act compared with the same period last year, data showed. There was also an increase of 21% in arrests of drug traffickers in the city.

Delhi Police data accessed by TOI showed that 757 cases were registered last year until June, whereas 876 cases were filed in the current year.

Police said several factors, including the identification of hotspots and regular raids, led to the higher number of arrests and FIRs. The cops also undertook a series of drives under "Operation Kavach". The data also showed that 873 people were arrested in the first six months of the previous year, whereas 1,058 were nabbed in 2023.

Police identified over 64 hotspots in the capital where heroin, MDMA, ganja and other narcotics were being sold. Raids were conducted and several drug traffickers nabbed.

Police say the drugs are smuggled from abroad to various states. Explaining the drug trafficking chain, a senior officer said the kingpin procures crude drugs and then sends it to the people involved in processing. "During processing, the drugs are mixed with chemicals to make them consumable," an officer said.

The officer added that the processed drugs are then sent to the dealers, who thengive them to sub-dealers, who, in turn, sell them to their customers. "Every sub-dealer has 50-60 consumers. They (consumers) make internet calls to sub-dealers and supply the drugs to them," the officer said.

Talking of the profit margin, another officer said that after processing, the quantity of drugs increases, resulting in a rise in the profit margin. "For example, if the kingpin procures 10 kg of crude drugs, it is mixed with various chemicals and, then, the quantity rises to 30-40 kg," the officer added.

Police said to bring drugs in the capital, the drug traffickers create special cavities underneath vehicles' body and fill them with the drugs.

An officer said the focus now is on attaching properties of drug traffickers after treating them as proceeds of crime "To break down organised crime, we book criminals under stringent acts, including the PIT-NDPS Act and MCOCA. There are several cases where they are externed," the officer said.

Source: Times Of India