Cops burn ganja, other drugs worth Rs 2 cr
The amount of ganja and other drugs seized by the city police in until May 20222 is 50% more than seizures of a similar period in the last 5 years, said Commissioner Shankar Jiwal, city police.
The commissioner on Saturday oversaw the incineration of about 1,300 kg of ganja and other drugs – heroin, LSD, meth tablets, worth over Rs 2 crore seized by the city police, at a facility in Chengelpet.
“As part of the ‘Drive against Drugs’ campaign this year, in the first 5 months, we registered 404 cases and arrested 689 persons. By the end of this year, we expect the number of cases and arrests to be 100 % more than what the city police did last year,” he added.
The police would be taking efforts to demand reduction in recreational drug use and will creating awareness programmes at public places and in educational institutions.
Jiwal said that police have drafted a list of peddlers and steps are being taken to freeze their bank accounts. “We’ll hit them hard,” he said.
Later in the day, on the eve of International Day Against Drug Abuse and Trafficking, he inaugurated a sand sculpture advocating the ill-effects of drugs. School and college students performed a mime and other cultural events as part of the event.
The top cop also distributed prizes to winners of competitions conducted by the police at educational institutions as part of their awareness programme.
“We’re also focussing on shops selling tobacco products near schools and 168 cases have been booked the past week,” the commissioner said.