In anticipation of New Year’s Eve celebrations, police are stepping up border and route patrols to combat the flow of illegal substances. A shift in contraband has been observed from 2023 to 2024. Last year’s seizures primarily consisted of ganja, hashish oil, cocaine, MDMA, and alprazolam, while this year has seen the emergence of cannabis-infused chocolates, poppy straw, opium and methamphetamine.
Officers from the Rachakonda Police Commissionerate, which covers the majority of the farm houses and national highway routes, are intensifying their efforts to curb narcotics and drug abuse.
Commissioner G. Sudheer Babu said that strategy includes increased surveillance in high-risk areas with sniffer dog deployment at key locations, enhanced intelligence gathering to disrupt supply chains, and close monitoring of gated communities. Senior officers and zonal night-duty teams will maintain oversight throughout the night.
Meanwhile, officers from Hyderabad and Cyberabad police, including Task Force, Special Operations Teams (SOT), and Excise and Prohibition have come up with their own way of tackling the year-end rush of narcotics into the city.
Director, Prohibition & Excise, Telangana, V.B. Kamalassan Reddy issued an order for increased vigilance and instructed all personnel to forgo leave from December 20 until the first week of January, maintaining a strict watch on the consumption of non-duty paid liquor (NDPL), drugs, and cannabis. He directed that inspections be carried out intensively, focusing on trains, coaches, and buses.
“Specific areas within the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) requiring particular attention include Nanakramguda, Singareni Colony, LB Nagar, Golconda, Puppalaguda, Manikonda, and Ramakrishna Colony,” said the Director.
The Telangana Anti-Narcotics Bureau reports for 2023 and 2024 reveal a significant escalation in the variety of drugs seized. In 2023, the primary seizures included ganja, hashish oil, charas, cocaine, MDMA, alprazolam and small quantities of pharmaceutical drugs such as nitravet and methaqualone.
Pharmaceutical substances such as spasmo proxyvon plus tablets, diazepam, meth, and pentazocine injections were also added to the list. Synthetic drugs like toddy alprazolam and amphetamine further underscored the scale of trafficking in 2024, reflecting an alarming diversification in the narcotics trade.
The value of contraband also rose from ₹7.99 crore in 2023 to ₹116.33 crore in 2024, marking a 48% increase. Arrests grew by 76%, with over 4,243 accused apprehended in 2024.
Published – December 22, 2024 12:40 am IST