CHENNAI: The state police have formed a special team headed by a DSP to coordinate with the Odisha police and the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) to dismantle the network supplying ganja to Tamil Nadu from Odisha, said TN DGP Mahesh Kumar Aggarwal on Wednesday.
Addressing media persons after flagging off a 14-day motorcycle rally raising awareness on drug abuse at the Marina beach to mark the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, the DGP said,
“We are receiving drugs from various places, and ganja is coming to TN from Odisha. To crack down on the network, we have constituted a DSP-led team that is working with the local police in Odisha and the NCB.”
Mentioning over 10 lakh narcotic tablets having been seized in TN in 2026, which is higher than last year, the DGP said the increase in seizure does not necessarily indicate a rise in drug abuse. Rather, it reflects intensified enforcement by special teams, including the Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF), he added.
Further, the police have seized 23,000 kg of ganja in TN this year, he said.
K Shankar, director of the Anti-Narcotics and Enforcement Wing, said the state government had established 67 ANTF police stations and deployed 2,500 personnel at a cost of `265 crore. Discussions at a recent meeting in New Delhi had focused on eradicating narcotics by 2029, he added.