Kullu police in overdrive to nail drug traffickers

Dipender Manta

The Kullu police have tighten the noose on drug peddlers to end the menace in Kullu district that is infamous for charas trade. Marijuana (cannabis) is cultivated clandestinely on private land and in forests in the district to produce charas from it.

The Police Department data reveal that last year, 226 cases were registered under the NDPS Act and 330 people were arrested for drug trafficking. Among the 330 arrested persons were 37 foreign nationals, including 30 Nepalese, and 29 women. A huge quantity of drugs was also seized from drug traffickers.

Kullu SP Gaurav Singh says that in 2019, the police had seized 152 kg of charas, 924.20 grams of heroin, 2.21 kg of opium, 111.62 kg of poppy straw, 4.57 kg of ganja, 1,278 drug capsules and tablets, 11 syringes and Rs 8.67 lakh from drug peddlers.

The police had also conducted financial investigations against four drug traffickers in the district and seized their properties worth Rs 40.50 lakh.

Last year, from July to December, 109 kg of charas was seized from drug peddlers, which is the highest seizure in six months in the last 10 years. In 2009, 80 kg of charas was seized in six months. In 2018, the police had seized 644 grams of heroin, while 924.20 grams of heroin was seized in 2019, says Gaurav.

The police raided remote areas to detect organised cultivation of marijuana, which is converted into charas. They also detected 18 such cases in different parts of Kullu district and arrested nine persons for the illicit trade, he adds.

He says that the police conducted raids in Pinsu Thach, Parvati valley, Malana, Fojal, Kasol, Manikaran and Tosh in the district to destroy marijuana plants.

The SP says that the police worked hard not only to nab drug peddlers but also to nail the main narcotics suppliers to break the network of the illicit trade in the district. Drugs are being supplied in Kullu from outside and from there to other regions through a nexus of drug traffickers. In 2019, the police arrested 14 persons, who were main drug suppliers, while in 2018, they had arrested only four accused. “The police had arrested five foreigners (four Nigerians and one from Ivory Coast) from Delhi, who were the main suppliers of heroin in Kullu district. We worked hard to trace their whereabouts and arrest them,” he says.

“The police are acting strictly against drug peddlers and working in collaboration with common people. They had introduced Sehbhagita and Rustam projects in Kullu district to end the drug menace and people are being encouraged to cooperate and pass on information about drug traffickers so that they can be nabbed easily,” says the SP.

He adds the police along with the Nehru Yuva Kendra are organising awareness camps in schools and colleges to educate students about the ill-effects of drug abuse.

Local people as well as the tourism industry are appreciating the efforts of the district police.

Huge seizure of narcotics

In 2019, the police seized 152 kg of charas, 924.20 grams of heroin, 2.21 kg of opium, 111.62 kg of poppy straw, 4.57 kg of ganja, 1,278 drug capsules and tablets, 11 syringes and Rs8.67 lakh from drug peddlers.

Network of drug suppliers being targeted: SP

}We are targeting the network of drug suppliers and their destinations to end the menace in the district. The police are trying to detect the cultivators of marijuana and poppy, suppliers of charas, opium and heroin, as the lives of youths are being ruined. —Gaurav Singh, Kullu SP