BENGALURU: The city saw 258 cases registered under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act this year (till November 30), as opposed to last year’s 354. However, 738.6 kg was seized this year, while 2016 and 2017 saw 274.3 kg and 567.9 kg, respectively.
According to additional CP (East) Seemant Kumar, the number of raids conducted has increased this year, wherein the police is focusing on getting to the source of the distribution instead of consumers. “This year, the most drug caught was marijuana and we have found it comes from Andhra Pradesh and Odisha. We have informants keeping us in the loop about their whereabouts since a different pattern is used every time they want to bring in the drugs,” he explained.
As many as 378 Indians and 13 foreigners have been arrested so far in 2018, for marijuana alone. For cocaine, 22 foreigners were arrested while only one Indian was caught. Assistant commissioner BS Mohan Kumar, Central Crime Branch (women and narcotics squad) said most accused with cocaine cases are Africans. “It is difficult to say how they bring the drugs into the country,” he added.
Last month, CCB police had busted a drug racket and arrested two African nationals and a software engineer. The cops also seized cocaine and ecstasy pills worth over `1.5 crore, which the accused allegedly supplied to parties and pubs. 2579 tablets were seized under the section ‘Yaba, restyl & Anxit, nitrosun tablets & Morphine’.