Drug menace: AP police on alert ahead of New Year

With over 350 drug rackets unearthed till October this year that saw arrest of as many as 813 accused, Andhra Pradesh Police will intensify campaign against drug traffickers by launching raids.

Police have drawn up short and long term plans to control narcotics menace and say their proposed action will see arrest of more number of drug racketeers, users and suppliers. With the arrest of some Tollywood actors (Telugu movie industry) on charge of consumption of cocaine in the past, police said they will also be keeping a track on such film personalities.
Apart from keeping a close watch on pubs, resorts and other points of drug addicts ahead of the New Year, police have stepped up their crackdown by deploying more decoy teams in Hyderabad city to catch hold of drug traffickers, users and peddlers red-handed, CID Additional Director General of Police T Krishna Prasad told PTI. Police will also be using dog squads to check vehicles and buildings in connection with its drive.
Besides, checkposts will be set up and surprise raids will be conducted under the Hyderabad and Cyberabad Police Commissionerate limits, he said. The next step to deal with narcotics will be by carrying out series of more and specific raids by the district Superintendents of Police across the state, Prasad explained.
These measures will see more arrests and seizures which will ultimately help in controlling the drug menace, the top CID officer said, adding that as part of the proposed drive, police will focus more against narcotics while they were till now preoccupied with law and order duty.
 If any drug is found in a vehicle or a building, the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act provides with a facility to attach such properties or vehicles, Prasad said. Warning of stern measures against drug users, Prasad appealed to public, particularly students and youngsters not to indulge in drug abuse, as the punishment under NDPS Act was imprisonment up to 20 years. If repeated, the offence carries death penalty under the Act, he added.
The number of arrests in drug cases has seen an increase during 2012 with as many as 813 accused including 7 foreigners (hailing from Nigeria and other foreign countries) being nabbed from across the state till October this year, as compared to around 600 accused including 11 foreign nationals held last year. While 394 drug cases were registered in 2011, as many as 365 cases have been booked till October this year.
Apart from seizing cocaine, police also recovered about 18,319 kg 'ganja' and 5 kg brown sugar during this year as compared to 15,668 kg 'ganja' seized in 2011. Investigators dealing with drug cases had earlier found that drug racketeers were not only operating from Hyderabad, but their gangs were carrying out operations from Delhi, Mumbai and other places from where they were procuring the narcotics substances.
In 2010, the Hyderabad Police had busted several drug-racket networks involving Nigerian and Ugandan nationals. It had also helped them in exposing the drug mafia-Tollywood link after the arrested reportedly revealed that their clients included actors and actresses from Telugu film industry and important personalities from posh localities of Hyderabad.
PTI