Drug peddlers to be booked under MCOCA: CM

The law will be amended during the ongoing monsoon session of the state legislature, the chief minister said

Mumbai : Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday said in the legislative council that the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) will be amended during the ongoing monsoon session of the state legislature so that drug dealers can be booked under the stringent law.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and others arrive at Vidhan Bhavan (PTI)

The chief minister was replying to a question raised by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator Parinay Phuke regarding the smuggling of Mephedrone, a synthetic stimulant drug.

“Those who are arrested in smuggling cases get released within a few days and continue with their business in different cities. I demand that these people be arrested under the MCOCA,” Phuke said.

In response, Fadnavis said that smuggling of drugs was a serious issue and various investigating agencies including the Anti-Narcotics Cell (ANC) of the Mumbai police, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) and Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) had seized 5,158 kilograms of Mephedrone from Maharashtra worth ₹9,522 crore over the past five years. The ANC registered 12 cases and arrested 75 people between 2021 and 2025, while the NCB registered three cases and the DRI registered four cases and arrested 22 people between 2022 and 2025, he said.

As per data submitted via the written reply, in 2022, 2023 and 2024, the number of cases registered in connection with Mephedrone smuggling were 303, 642 and 545, respectively.

The chief minister mentioned that while those involved in drug peddling are currently booked under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, the government will amend existing laws so that they can be booked under the MCOCA.

“The amendment will be done in the ongoing monsoon session of the state legislature,” Fadnavis stated.

He also said that NDPS units had been set up under every police station and the police department had taken major action against drug peddlers in the past couple of years.

“At the national level too, there is intelligence sharing and big actions are being taken. We will request the high court regarding a fast-track court for these cases,” Fadnavis said.