Excise to seek Interpol’s help for probe in smuggling of synthetic drugs

KOCHI: With the Excise Department getting vital leads on the identity of the masterminds in the smuggling of synthetic drugs worth Rs 30 crore through the Nedumbassery Airport last week,  it has been decided to seek the Interpol’s assistance to nab the gang members.Excise Commissioner Rishiraj Singh disclosed this to reporters here on Saturday. The department also constituted a special team for follow-up investigation in the case.

“ We have clear information on the Malayaless  working as carriers after settling in the foreign countries.To nab them, we need the help of Interpol,” said Singh.According to him, the department will also approach the CISF and the airport operators to check the inter-state drug smuggling racket. Singh said the department had managed to flesh out the drug syndicate’s network with their counterparts in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra. “ Our officers are already in touch with the Excise Departments in the other states.

The drug traffickers’ modus operandi is not to keep the consignment with them for several hours. They will keep on passing the contraband from person to person. We hope more people will be arrested in this connection,” he said. The misuse of prescription drugs for getting a ‘high’ is also on the rise, Singh said. “The drugs which are available at the druggists for a cheap price has narcotics as a component. So the people started using it instead of spending money on the high- priced drugs. However, there is no existing system to monitor it properly. Here there are over 49,000 drug stores functioning but there are only 45 drug inspectors to monitor them. Unfortunately, only five of them have their own vehicle to carry out inspections,” he said.