Drug agency’s analysis shows most of the arrested people this year are between 15 and 35 years; majority come from well-to-do families and enter the business to maintain a lavish lifestyle
NCB officers say the youngsters are well aware of the risks of the trade. Representation pics
Youngsters from affluent families form the backbone of the drug network in Mumbai, an analysis by the NCB has shown. Most of these youth, between 15 and 35 years of age, are into smuggling and peddling of contrabands to earn some extra bucks to maintain a lavish lifestyle that their pocket money alone can’t meet. Peer pressure and web series too play a big role in their way of life, said the police.
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In the past six months, the Mumbai unit of the Narcotics Control Bureau has arrested 102 people of which about 70 per cent are in the 15-35 age group. “Most cases are from the city’s west region. We have created a database to understand the reason for this [trend] and create awareness against drugs accordingly,” said Sameer Wankhede, NCB’s zonal director.
The youngsters are well aware of the risks that they are taking by entering the murky underbelly of the drug world, an NCB officer said, “Many of the accused are well-educated college students, some are even engineering graduates and MBAs.”
Many are victims of peer pressure and they start dealing in drugs when they feel they are not getting enough pocket money. They are also highly influenced by shows on OTT platforms that tend to glorify the lavish lifestyles of drug lords across the world, said anti-drug officers.
“These youngsters study a lot about the drug business on the dark web and take the risk. We have come across youngsters between 20 and 25 who have made crores of rupees and been to various places around the world. They often share their pictures on social media which help them build their own circle,” said Wankhede.
Desperate to become famous
The NCB says youngsters desperate to become famous make videos and turn social media influencers. “To make high-quality videos, they need money. This craze [of being famous] is landing youths into easy money-making businesses and drug smuggling is one of them,” said an NCB officer.
102
No. of people arrested by NCB so far this year
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