Sale of narcotics in the city remains rampant
Times of India: The use and sale of narcotics in the city remains rampant, as is evident from the fact that areas like Kondhwa, Yerawada and Pimpri are fast becoming hubs for drug dealers.
Deputy commissioner of police (narcotics and cyber crime) Rajendra Dahale had pointed out on Tuesday that most of the registered drug-related cases in the last five months were from these areas.
The city’s status as a drug consumption centre is because of a high demand and easy availability of a few narcotic drugs like marijuana and brown sugar. There is, however, no demand for other drugs like cocaine, heroin and opium as they are costly and are made available only in case of specific demand. In fact, the demand for marijuana and brown sugar too has come down significantly since 2007, thanks to intensified police action in recent years.
Marijuana and brown sugar are commonly used by slumdwellers, habitual smokers, drug addicts and youngsters because of their easy availability.
Investigations into various drug hauls have revealed that narcotics are smuggled into Pune from Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Rajasthan and Kashmir, among others, in huge quantities.
After the anti-narcotics cell (ANC) of the crime branch, Pune stepped up action against the main peddlers and suppliers, the sale of drugs has come down. But narcotics like marijuana and brown sugar are still easily available owing to their highly organised supply network.
Speaking to TOI, DCP Rajendra Dahale said: “The sale of drugs which once took place openly has now stopped because of strong police action. The police are also taking action against drug peddlers and others based on information received from informants,” Dahale added. “It cannot be said whether demand has increased or not.”
Inspector Ganpat Nikam of the ANC said, “The police have taken major action against 27 drug peddlers responsible for transporting drugs in bulk to Pune, Mumbai, Thane, Bangalore and Goa between 2007 and 2009.”
According to Nikam, “The police have also intensified action against drug users. But it is often observed that drug pushers operate in an organised manner and also keep changing their place of operation. This makes it difficult to take action against them.”
“Those in the drug trade use mobile phones and employ women and youngsters. The police are collecting information on them and action can be taken against them if there is any specific information,” Nikam added.
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