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Himachal CM Sukhvinder Sukhu releases SOP to tackle drug trafficking
The SOP comes in the backdrop of a large number of offenders in narcotics cases being acquitted due to the non-compliance of mandatory provisions and prescribed provisions
Chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu late on Tuesday released the standard operating procedure (SOP) for Prevention of Illicit Trafficking in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1988 late on Tuesday evening.
The SOP comes in the backdrop of a large number of offenders in narcotics cases being acquitted due to the non-compliance of mandatory provisions and prescribed provisions. It is being tipped as a way to assist and serve as a guide to police officers and officials in dealing with cases of drug trafficking and achieve the desired objectives effectively.
The guidelines will offer a detailed process and procedure from initiating to executing detention orders and confiscating unlawfully acquired assets.
The CM said illicit drugs have posed a threat and a sense of insecurity in society and undermine the faith of the common man in law enforcement agencies, adding, “To instil faith in the administration of justice, the government has accorded top priority to combat this menace in an efficient and effective manner.”
To bolster the efforts, a specialised force dedicated to prevent drug-related crimes and an advisory board has been established to provide guidance, he added.
Notably, the advisory board under the provisions of Section 9 of the Prevention of Illicit Traffic in Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1988 was constituted in the state issued on April 13 this year.
