Rise in narcotics activities: Each Maharashtra district to have anti-narcotics cell

The Maharashtra home minister Dilip Walse Patil has asked the police force to chalk out a programme to curb the activities and directed police to set up anti-narcotics cell in each district

Against the backdrop of the recent seizures of the drug haul in Gujarat and raids on a cruise rave party in Mumbai, state home minister Dilip Walse Patil held a review meeting and directed to constitute anti-narcotics cell in each of the districts.

Against the backdrop of the recent seizures of the drug haul in Gujarat and raids on a cruise rave party in Mumbai, state home minister Dilip Walse Patil held a review meeting and directed to constitute anti-narcotics cell in each district. (HT File)

The high-ranking officials from Mumbai and Maharashtra Police forces apprised the home minister about the rise in the cases related to consumption and peddling of drugs. The officials also expressed concerns over the spurt in the criminal cases committed under the influence of the drugs. The home minister has asked the police force to chalk out a programme to curb the activities. He also directed police to set up anti-narcotics cell in each district.

“Police need to thoroughly investigate the narcotics cases and take strict action against the people involved in them. They should be more vigilant to bring narcotics activities under control. The peddling of drugs has reached villages. The consumption of drugs among school and college-going youth is on the rise. Some medicines are being used as drugs. There are complaints of online marketing of such medicines. The defunct industrial units are used for narcotics-related activities. To curb such activities, the police should implement joint drive with the help of food and drug administration and industrial departments,” Walse Patil said.