Despite crackdown, peddling on the rise

Besides the amount in each batch sold, the prices have increased as well since last year.
Image used for representational purpose only
Image used for representational purpose only

BENGALURU: With the police intensifying its crackdown on sale of drugs in the city, the peddlers are now resorting to selling fewer batches, but of a bigger quantity.

“When drugs are sold in bigger quantities, the job is done faster. Sale of smaller amounts takes more time, and the peddlers remain in possession of the drug for a longer time. So the police are more likely to catch them,” a source said.

According to the Crime Records Bureau, 62 cases have been registered under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (NDPS) Act and 233 kg drugs have been seized until March 27 this year, as compared to 286 cases and 765 kg in the entire 2018. Ganja is the most seized drug in the city, with 231 kg recovered in 54 cases this year.

Just last week, two men were arrested at Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport for trying to smuggle drugs worth Rs 55 lakh. The two was apprehended while they were trying to board a flight to Doha, and booked under the NDPS Act. Officials found 965 grams of amphetamine, 30 grams of
cocaine and 4.525 kg of hashish, concealed inside a quilt and tiffin boxes in their checked-in luggage.

Besides the amount in each batch sold, the prices have increased as well since last year. For instance, while 10 grams ganja cost Rs 500 earlier, now, a 20-gram packet costs Rs 1,500-Rs 2,500. College students are the biggest consumers, and do not mind paying Rs 5,000 for small quantities of cocaine or LSD, the source said.

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