With crackdown on heroin supply, smuggling of banned drugs goes up

Due to the shortage of contraband, drug peddlers are using these banned medicines to make ‘fake chitta,’ say police officials

TARN TARAN: The busting of a drug-smuggling racket in the district on Wednesday when a consignment of 5 lakh banned intoxicating medicines and drugs was seized from a whole sale dealer is a pointer to a new worrying trend, sources in the police claim.

“With the state government cracking down on heroin supply, the contraband is in short supply,” a senior police officer said.

“So, drug peddlers are now using banned medicines (tablets and capsules) for making indigenous fake ‘Chitta’ (heroin), hence the increase in seizures of such medicines during transport,” a senior police officer told HT on condition of anonymity.

During Wednesday’s bust, the Anti-Narcotics Cell (ANC) of Tarn Taran police had uncovered a drug smuggling racket. Before the arrest of the wholesale

dealer, the police had nabbed eight drug peddlers to piece together the new modus operandi of the drug mafia. Police claim the arrested dealer has confessed to smuggling such

banned medicines across the state — to be ultimately used as an input in making fake heroin.

“After grinding medicines and capsules such as Parvon Spas, Etizolam, Tramadol, Alprex, to name a few, peddlers are making a white powder and selling it on high prices,” he said.

“Drug addicts demand ‘Chitta’ from the peddlers, but due to its shortage in the state, they purchase duplicate heroin, which is much more harmful as compare to heroin,” he added.

The cop said that drug peddlers were selling the fake heroin in small packets.

“When drug addicts inject the fake drug, it immediately enters the bloodstream and increases the speed of delivery to brain and can even be fatal.

It is crucial to cut the supply of banned medicines from factories to save the youth,” he said.