Law enforcers have launched a new initiative, Drive Against Drug (DAD), across the central zone encompassing nine districts in an effort to check illegal transportation and sale of narcotics substances, especially ganja, and track the sources.
The move has been set in motion in the wake of seizure of ganja from coastal districts and other places across the zone in recent times.
A detailed list of offenders involved in ganja sale and transportation has been compiled, with law enforcement authorities instructing field-level officers to cull out the active persons from the list. Instructions have also been given to station house officers to check the activities of inactive persons and find out their current source of income. Activities of those whose source of their income is not known will be under scanner.
Police sources say the list will contain sellers, transporters and bulk handlers besides potential buyers so as to mount surveillance and pursue them.
The Drive Against Drug has been launched as the coastal belt falling under the central zone has remained the conduit route for smuggling of ganja to Sri Lanka through sea, says Inspector General of Police, Central Zone V. Balakrishnan.
The seizure of ganja on previous occasions at various places in the zone and booking of some cases prompted the launch of the drive against narcotic substances especially ganja. The strategy to curb such types of offences is being fine tuned with a view to curbing crimes, he adds.
The coastline in Nagapattinam, Pudukottai, Thanjavur and Mayiladuthurai districts provides potential access to smuggling of narcotic substances through the sea route. Ganja usage not only leads to drug addiction but also provides a favourable environment for anti-socials to commit offences and for crimes to thrive, say police sources.
As part of the drive, instructions have also been given to the field-level officers in the zone to take steps to charge sheet pending cases and serve fresh summons and execute non-bailable warrants.
A daily report on the progress made in respect of ganja seizure cases, the number of such cases under investigation and those not taken on file has been sought from each district in the zone. The report has to be sent to range offices and zonal office for monitoring by top officers. Field-level officers have also been asked to prepare a dossier on such offenders and keep updating the activities of such offenders and submit the report to top police officers.
One of the objectives behind the launch of the Drive against Drug is also to zero in on the source of smuggling of ganja, Mr. Balakrishnan further says.
The police sources say the potential route for smuggling of ganja is neighbouring Andhra Pradesh. They point to the recent seizure of 80 kg of ganja in Thanjavur district in which a gang was found to be involved.
