Ganja, contraband worth Rs 2 crore destroyed by Chennai police

CHENNAI: The amount of ganja and other drugs seized by the city police in the first five months this year is 50 % more than the seizures in a similar period in the last five years, said City Police commissioner, Shankar Jiwal.

The commissioner on Saturday oversaw the incineration of about 1300 kg of ganja and other drugs- Heroin, LSD, Meth tablets, worth over Rs 2 crore seized by the city police, at a facility in Chengalpet.

“As part of the ‘Drive against Drugs’ campaign this year, in the first five months, we have 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, ” the commissioner said.

City police would be taking efforts for demand reduction and will be creating awareness programmes at public places and in educational institutions. The commissioner said that police have drafted a list of peddlers and steps are being taken to freeze their bank accounts. “We will hit them hard, ” he said.

Later in the day, on the eve of International day against drug abuse and trafficking, the commissioner inaugurated a sand sculpture advocating the ill-effects of drugs. School and college students performed mime and other cultural events as part of the event.

The commissioner also distributed prizes to winners of competitions conducted by the police at educational institutions as part of their awareness programme.

“We are also focussing on shops selling tobacco products near schools and 168 cases have been booked the past week,” the commissioner said.