2019: Quantum jump in drug seizure

Amit Sharma

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, January 19

The City Beautiful witnessed a substantial rise in the recovery of drugs during 2019 in comparison to the recovery made collectively in 2017 and 2018. With the arrest of 226 drug peddlers, the UT police made a whopping recovery of 3.249 kg of heroin, 20.693 kg of charas and 318.952 kg of ganja, besides other drugs.

Similarly, the recovery of ganja also witnessed a steep rise last year. From 78.531 kg and 24.490 kg of ganja recovered in 2017 and 2018, respectively, cops recovered 318.952 kg of ganja last year.

The seizure of charas also witnessed a rise in the city during 2019. While 4.248 kg and 4.678 kg of charas were recovered in 2017 and 2018, respectively, the police recovered 20.693 kg of the narcotic during the previous year.

During 2019, 42.580 kg of poppy husk was also recovered, which is almost 14 times the collective recovery of two preceding years.

UT SSP Nilambari Jagdale said their prime focus was to clamp down on people selling drugs in the city, which led to higher recovery in comparison to the previous years. “We are not targeting small-level consumers, but bigger suppliers to break their nexus,” the SSP said.

Besides cops at police stations, a special team to nab drug peddlers was also constituted by the Police Department to work on specific information. “Sometimes, we receive specific information of drugs being sold in a specific area. However, there is a chance that the information may get leaked at certain level. In those cases, the special team carries out the operation and nabs drug peddlers,” the SSP said.

Foreign nationals have also been found selling drugs in the city. The police nabbed 17 foreign nationals, mainly from Nigeria, who had visited Chandigarh to deliver consignments. Three arrests were made in 2017, four in 2018 and 10 last year.

While a total of 244 cases were registered under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act in 2017, 178 were registered in 2018 and 226 last year.