AHMEDABAD: In Gujarat, there are 17.35 lakh male drug addicts and there are 1.85 lakh female drug addicts, according to the National Survey 2018. Over the past four years, there have been frequent drug seizures in Gujarat.
According to a Central government report, 986 litres of intoxicating liquid and 64,561 kg of drugs have been seized in this period. In addition, 72,978 drug pills and injections were seized, indicating that drug trafficking is probably on the rise in the state.
Citing the National Survey 2018 figures of 17.35 lakh males and 1.85 lakh female drug addicts, Gujarat Congress spokesperson Hiren Bankar said, “Despite the presence of technology and government agencies in the state, such as state police, NCB, DRI, border posts, patrolling, round-the-clock surveillance and CCTV cameras, thousands of kilos of drugs worth crores of rupees are smuggled into Gujarat via airways, seaways, and ports.”
On June 21 this year, 3.22 kg of designer drug ‘black cocaine’ was confiscated from a Brazilian individual at Ahmedabad airport. The value of the substance confiscated is believed to be Rs 32 crore.
In February 2023, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) recovered 165 capsules of cocaine hidden in the bellies of two travellers travelling from Africa. The pill contained brown cocaine powder worth Rs 12 crore in the international market.
During the pandemic year, 308 cases were filed under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act according to the National Crime Records Bureau’s (NCRB) ‘Crime in India 2020 Report’, over 110 of which were for personal consumption.
This number has been steadily increasing. In 2019, 289 cases were filed under the NDPS Act. Of this, 112 were for personal possession, whereas the number was 150 cases in 2018, out of which 60 were for personal use. According to the Lok Sabha’s March 14, 2023 data, 200 cases of NDPS were registered for personal possession of drugs.
On March 14, 2023, the government disclosed the NDPS Act figures in the Lok Sabha. It stated that three children under the age of 18 were caught Under NDPS Act in 2019, one child in 2020, and two children in 2021.
Under the NDPS Act, 37 women were apprehended in 2019 among women over the age of 18 under the Act. In 2020, 19 women were apprehended, and in 2021, 28 women were caught. Thus, in three years, six children under the age of 18 and 84 women over the age of 18 were arrested in drug cases.
