VIJAYAWADA: The intensive crackdown launched by the NTR district police along with the Elite Anti-Narcotics Group for Law Enforcement (EAGLE) has yielded significant results, with no cases of ganja transportation or peddling reported in the district over the past two months.
Police invoked the Prevention of Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs (PITNDPS) and Psychotropic Substances Act and the Preventive Detention (PD) Act against identified drug gangs. These measures effectively dismantled and weakened the drug network operating in the district.
Earlier, at least 10 ganja peddling cases were reported every week in Vijayawada alone, raising serious concern among law enforcement agencies. Taking note of the rising trend, NTR district commissioner of police SV Rajashekhar Babu has constituted special teams comprising city police personnel, the Commissioner’s Task Force (CTF) and EAGLE officers.
“The teams mainly focused on previously arrested offenders in ganja-related cases. Through detailed interrogation, police gathered critical intelligence about the networks, including key operators, suppliers, peddlers and local consumers. Based on this information, officials systematically tracked down and dismantled the groups involved in the illegal trade,” the CP Rajasekhara Babu explained.
In a major breakthrough, the police targeted the kingpins behind the operations and disrupted the supply chain. So far, 24 individuals in the district have been jailed under the PD and PITNDPS Acts, effectively breaking the link between suppliers and local operators.
Rajashekhara Babu said the crackdown created a significant gap between the kingpins and their ground-level operatives, crippling the network. He expressed satisfaction that not a single case of ganja peddling or transportation had been reported in the district in the past two months.
Meanwhile, EAGLE chief Ake Ravi Krishna said the department had sent around 200 proposals to the State government seeking action under the PITNDPS Act, of which 98 proposals were approved and are being implemented. The remaining proposals are being examined and considered under the Law department. “Surveillance and intelligence gathering will continue to ensure that drug networks do not re-emerge in the district and State,” said the EAGLE chief.