HYDERABAD: The use of narcotic substances such as cannabis has witnessed a steep rise in the city of pearls. The excise department and police have together seized more than 1,000 kg of cannabis from January to October 2019. “The number of cases registered has shown an increase. In 2018, we registered 40 cases involving 498 kg of cannabis. This year, till October, we booked 54 cases and seized 630 kg of cannabis,” said an official with the city police.
“Cannabis use has become a trend in Hyderabad, particularly among millenials,” said Inspector B Gattu Mallu from the commissioner’s task force team, Hyderabad. “What we have seized is only a part. The city gets the bulk of its supply from Andhra Pradesh and Odisha. The cannabis trade is expanding year after year,” said an official from the State prohibition and excise department.
This year, the Telangana State Prohibition and Excise Department seized 512 kg of cannabis from Hyderabad district alone. “Between January and October this year, we booked 296 people and 90 per cent of those involved in peddling were from Dhoolpet area,” said C Vivekananda Reddy, director of Prohibition and Excise Department.
“The Dhoolpet prohibition and excise station recorded a higher number of cases when compared to other stations in the city,” he added. “This year, we arrested several key smugglers in Mangalhat, Jummerat Bazaar, Seetarambagh and Jiyaguda. Besides, we have counselled 1,500 people in the area who came to purchase the contraband,” he said.