It Rained Drugs in Mangaluru in 2023! City Police Seized Drugs worth Rs 1.7crore
Mangaluru: Even though the Mangaluru City police are trying every effort to eradicate the drug menace and are intensifying their endeavours to create a drug-free environment in Mangaluru, however, in 2023, police arrested 948 individuals involved in both drug consumption and peddling. Out of the total arrests, 94 cases were registered, and 199 individuals were arrested under Section 20(b) (peddling) of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. In addition, 619 cases were registered and 749 people were arrested under Section 27(b) (consumption) of the NDPS Act.
The efforts resulted in the seizure of drugs valued at Rs 1.7 crore. Police had seized around 206kg of ganja worth Rs 51.7 lakh, 11.3g of ganja weed oil worth Rs 7,000 and eight grams of ganja ash powder worth Rs 3,500. Police seized around 2kg of MDMA worth Rs 1.1 crore. Among other drugs seized are 250 LSD stamps worth Rs 2.5 lakh, around 151g of methamphetamine worth Rs 3.4 lakh, 723g of charas worth Rs 1.5 lakh, two grams hashish oil worth Rs 750 and around 68kg of bhang chocolates laced with ganja and charas worth Rs 48,000.
Last June, the city police launched the drug-free Mangaluru campaign, and on 1 November 2023, as part of this campaign, special teams were formed, each under the supervision of the respective ACPs. These teams were tasked with checking places frequently visited by the public and individuals suspected of drug consumption. City top cop Anupam Agrawal said that after November, they have focussed on spreading awareness on drug abuse, and had three dedicated teams in each sub-division following only drug-related cases.
“About 30-35% of cases were detected in the last two months. The teams maintained and studied the databases, and followed every consumer and peddler systematically, which has yielded better results, not affecting routine work. Thus the outcome has been much better,” he said.