Maharashtra to get Anti Narcotics Task Force under IG-rank officer to curb drug menace

Representational Pic/File

Asserting that Maharashtra police has a "zero tolerance" policy towards drugs and drug peddling, top officials on Thursday said that the state will soon have an Anti Narcotics Task Force headed by an Inspector-General rank officer to curb the menace, reported the PTI.

According to the news agency, the police is taking the "up and down" approach to drug enforcement, under which the probe concentrates on the supplers as well as at the end of the peddling chain, they added.

Addressing a press conference, Maharashtra Anti Terrorism Squad (ATS) chief Sadanand Date and Additional Director General of Police (ADG) Sanjay Saxena pointed out that drug possession cases had gone up from 1,823 in 2022 to 2,491 till October this year. The figure till October last year was 1,530, as per the PTI.

Pressure cooker explodes in Thane eatery

1 year agoWEBSTORY

They said 2,274 persons were arrested in 2022, including 2,013 till October, while the figure for 2023 so far was 3,277.

Consumption cases stood at 11,824 in 2022 and was 10,536 till October this year. The corresponding figure till October last year was 9,530, the officials said, reported the PTI.

A total of 10,851 persons were arrested in consumption cases in 2022, while the number of people held till October this year was 10,231. The figure for the corresponding period till October last year was 9,700.

Giving details of major drug busts carried out by the state police, the officials said the Anti Narcotics Cell in March last year busted two factories in Gujarat, resulting in seizure of 2428 kilograms of mephedrone worth Rs 1,403 crore and arrest of eight persons, while the ATS had nabbed six persons after getting hold of 72 kilograms of heroin worth Rs 362 crore.

In August this year, Sakinaka police in Mumbai busted a major drug manufacturing racket, resulting in seizure of 151 kilograms of mephedrone worth Rs 300 crore and arrest of 16 persons.

Last month, police from Mira-Bhayander in neighbouring Thane district seized 18.453 kilograms of mephedrone worth Rs 36.90 crore.

Last month, Crime Branch Unit IX busted busted a factory in Solapur and seized more than 8 kilograms of mephedrone worth Rs 16 crore, while a police constable posted at Arthur Road Jail, identified as Virendra Naik, was dismissed from service after 71 grams of charas were allegedly found in his possession.

This year, till October, a total of 5,224 kilograms of ganja has been disposed of along with 173 kilograms of mephedrone and 2 kilograms of heroin, the officials informed at the press conference.

More than 27 lakh people took part on June 26 in events to mark International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, they said, adding the number of de-addiction centres would increase from 103 after the opening of 24 such facilities in places like Jalna, Bhiwandi, Pune and Nagpur, they said.

Detention centres are being built in several parts of the state as a large number of foreign nationals are being held in drug cases, the officials said.

(with PTI inputs)