21 December,2023 12:42 PM IST | Thane | mid-day online correspondent
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From January 1 to November 28, this year, there was a spike in anti-drug operations in Maharashtra's Thane district, which led to the arrest of 859 people and the filing of 723 cases about drug offences. During this time, drug dealers were reported to have had drugs and goods worth Rs 4.01 crore seized by authorities, stated the report in the news agency PTI.
According to the PTI report, Punjabrao Ugale, the Additional Commissioner of Police (Crime), presided over a district-level anti-drug coordination committee meeting where these statistics were revealed. The statistics were provided by Inspector Sanjay Shinde of the Thane police's anti-narcotics cell, who emphasised the significant crackdown on drug-related activities in the area.
"A total of 723 offences related to drugs were registered in Thane district between January 1 and November 28. As many as 859 people were arrested in these cases, and drugs and goods worth Rs 4,01,94,718 were seized from drug peddlers," inspector Sanjay Shinde from Thane police's anti-narcotics cell told PTI.
Reportedly, during the meeting, Ugale called on officials to step up their inspections of closed chemical units and make sure medical supply stores follow all rules, not selling some medications without a prescription from a doctor. He also underlined how important it is to keep a close eye on the entrances to all of the district's water bodies.
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Furthermore, orders were issued to gather data about drug addicts receiving hospital treatment to aid in the identification of possible drug traffickers. It was advised to closely monitor these cases to successfully stop drug-related activity, the PTI report added.
The police official also directed that the details of drug addicts who come to hospitals for treatment be compiled and the same be followed up to identify drug traffickers, Shinde further told the news agency.
Recently, Devendra Fadnavis, the deputy chief minister of Maharashtra, revealed that the state police has seized drugs valued at Rs 50,000 crore in the state. He, in response to Shiv Sena leader Ravindra Waikar's query, said that a campaign against 2,200 small-scale drug suppliers in Mumbai is one way to resolve the issue.
A PTI report stated that the Mumbai police made a big discovery that included 151 kg of mephedrone valued at Rs 300 crore. This operation resulted in arrests in several cities, including a factory raid in the Nashik district. Fadnavis highlighted the use of closed manufacturing facilities for illegal drug production and the government's vigilance regarding imported chemicals that could be utilised in drug production.