E-Paper
Drive against drugs, liquor smuggling extended till Sept 8
The UP police have effectively curbed the illegal activities of liquor and drugs mafias by seizing huge quantities of illicit and spurious liquor, as well as a large quantity of drugs and narcotics substances during a week-long drive carried out across the state from August 24 to 31
The UP police have effectively curbed the illegal activities of liquor and drugs mafias by seizing huge quantities of illicit and spurious liquor, as well as a large quantity of drugs and narcotics substances during a week-long drive carried out across the state from August 24 to 31. Besides, the state police have identified different routes of smuggling heroin, marijuana, charas, and opium as well as initiated steps to curb the practice.
Following the success during the week-long period, the special drive has been extended till September 8. During the extended drive, the UP police have increased the alertness at different international borders including the porous Nepal border, and state borders through which drugs and narcotics substances are smuggled into different parts of the state.
Prashant Kumar, additional director general (ADG), law and order, said that the state police registered as many as 1,773 cases against such drug peddlers and suspects as well as identified 2,080 people involved in this practice during the week-long drive. He said the drugs, narcotics substances and illicit liquor worth over ₹26.71 crore was recovered.
The ADG said the Gangster Act was slapped on 261 people indulged in these illegal activities after registering 82 cases related to it and seized properties worth over ₹34.74 crore. As many as 166 such people were convicted by different courts during this period.
He further added that as many as 7,495 cases were registered against those involved in manufacturing and supplying of illicit and spurious liquor and the action was taken against 7,714 people as well as 8,416 people were identified in this connection. He said illicit and spurious liquor worth over ₹ 5.63 crore was recovered.
Kumar said the Gangster act was invoked against 218 people in 73 cases related to it and properties worth over ₹ 15.74 crore was seized.
As many as 387 people were convicted by different courts in 76 cases related to spurious and illicit liquor.
Besides, at least 40 Hookah bars were closed and action was initiated against 118 people in this connection.
The ADG said the districts including Barabanki, Sitapur, Lakhimpur Kheri, Fatehgarh and Rae Bareli are among the best performers in taking action against drug peddlers and seizing drugs and narcotics substances. Deoria, Jhansi, Ballia, Varanasi rural and Unnao districts are top performers in taking action against manufacturers and suppliers of illicit and spurious liquor, he added.
Heroin and its crude forms are mainly smuggled from Myanmar and Bangladesh via West Bengal, Manipur, Mizoram and Assam through railway routes of Dimapur, Guwahati and Gaya to UP, NCR, Haryana, Rajasthan and Maharashtra. The drug peddlers also used road route as well as water route for this purpose.
Gold Triangle route: Heroin and its crude forms are also smuggled from Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan via Gujarat, Rajasthan and Punjab and later brought into Uttar Pradesh through different routes.
Marijuana is mainly smuggled from hill regions of Odisha’s Bhawani Patna, Nalco, Sonpur and Bargarh. From there it is brought in UP via Chattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh from three different routes from Jhansi, Sonbhadra and Prayagraj.
Charas is smuggled from Nepal’s Badni, Sonauli and Veerganj border and moved to different states like Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Delhi and NCR through road routes.
Opium is smuggled from Palamu of Jharkhand via Patna, Bihar and Varanasi through rail routes and road and delivered at Bareilly, Budaun, Aligarh and NCR.
