NEW DELHI: Delhi Police has begun a hunt for local drug traffickers, who play a key role in supplying drugs to youngsters in the city, and connect with interstate and international drug cartels.
According to a senior Delhi Police officer, action is being taken against drug traffickers under the stringent Prevention of Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act 1988 (PIT-NDPS Act). The police have initiated financial probe to unearth the proceeds of crime, he said.
The PIT-NDPS Act provides for the preventive detention of repeat offenders, deemed as an effective method in dealing with drug menace. Once a preventive detention order is issued under the Act, the illegal acquired properties of the person concerned can be forfeited.
Delhi has varied problems, of which the infiltration of drugs is of prime concern.
As per a joint survey conducted by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment and AIIMS, drug abuse is more prevalent in the Delhi-NCR region compared to the national average. To tackle the menace, the Delhi Police is leaving no stone unturned.
In a significant operation against the drug menace in the city, the Delhi Police this month busted a major drug cartel and seized cocaine worth an estimated value of Rs 5,620 crore in the international markets.
A senior official from the Narcotics Control Bureau said that synthetic drugs, including MDMA, are now becoming prevalent in the Delhi-NCR area. “Earlier, these drugs were not found in Delhi. Unfortunately, these are now being introduced among the drug users by criminals,” he said.
The official further said that some areas in Delhi and nearby satellite towns are becoming a hotspot of both narcotic consumption as well as smuggling. “Dwarka and Greater Noida have become major hotspots for foreigners who are into consumption and supply of contraband,” he said.
On Wednesday, a senior Delhi Police officer said they busted another inter-state supply network of charas (hashish) and smack (heroin), which was clandestinely active in the capital. About 1,200 grams of hashish and 90 grams of heroin was seized during the haul. The accused peddler was a 63-year-old man named Ajay Lal, he said.
From the interrogation of the accused, it was revealed that he used to procure heroin from Mukesh and Monu (both arrested) and further used to supply the narcotics in Delhi and NCR.
According to the officer, the accused went to Dubai as a labourer and upon returning to Delhi, started doing private jobs. During this time, he started conning people in the guise of sending them abroad.
“He even remained in Nepal jail from 2005 to 2014 in a case related to cheating of Nepali people. Thereafter, he got involved in the drug trade to earn quick money and started to supply hashish and heroin in various parts of Delhi and NCR,” the officer added.
Since the recovery of Rs 5,620 crore worth drugs in the capital, the police have intensified their efforts and have begun conducting raids at multiple locations, while simultaneously developing more information on the drug network.