DRI raids expose city's drug underbelly

The enforcement agencies which had been hitherto happy to stop with the arrest of the carriers of the drug cartels, seldom probed beyond the superficial network of carriers. Many of them are tricked in to the trade by the drug cartels. Agencies will be now forced to dig deeper as the network seems to be more than what meets the eye. 

The Narcotics Control Bureau is now closely monitoring some labs that are engaged in production of pseudo ephedrine and methamphetamine. Sources say that many unregulated, least monitored industrial units, located on the outskirts of the city, are engaged in such nefarious activities. 

There are centres producing spurious medicines, some making fake narcotic drugs, some engaged in production of narcotic substances, a few others engaged in production of duplicate vehicle lubricant oils of famous brands. 

Six industrial units at Ambattur, Mogappair, Padi, and Korattur had gone to the extent of making rocket launcher parts, reportedly for Andhra-based People’s War Group. Q Branch busted this group in September 2006 and the enforcement agencies were told to keep a regular watch on such industrial units.  Eleven years down the line, nothing seems to have changed and these industrial units continue to carry on their illegal activities. 

“The DRI raids show that many such units could be operating in and around Chennai. It is impossible to check all the units, agencies and develop intelligence regarding such activities,” a DRI official said. 

“Most of these units are hired by established networks and the production units will have only one point contact, the procurer. NCB has information that pseudo ephedrine is produced and processed in several parts of Chennai in such units,” Narcotics Control Bureau Chennai Zonal Director, A Bruno, told DTNext . 

What is more worrying is the connivance of local police with many of such units. “They have such a wide network but unfortunately, they refuse to act against such unscrupulous elements and we even have information that they leak out our plans of action,” a senior official of NCB said on request of anonymity. 

Official sources say the representatives of the international drug cartels personally meet the heads of such units and offer to gang up with them. “The cartels ensure protection for the manufacturer and none in the chain, talk about the manufacturer. Even when we pick up the second line of command in the smuggling chain, they refuse to divulge details,” the official added.