Once a pit stop for peddlers, the Mohali district is now in the grip of drugs. Figures speak volumes. The district police has already booked 98 persons under the NDPS Act, while the Special Task Force constituted to fight drug menace has registered 33 cases so far. In 2016, the number of such cases stood at a mere 57.
Not a week goes by without the arrest of a drug dealer. Just four days ago, cops arrested Ambala resident Daljit Singh with more than 700 banned injections from Kharar. On July 3, the STF nabbed two drug peddlers, who included the owner of a drug rehabilitation centre and a snatcher, with 120 grammes of heroin from Phase 7. Sahil, earlier booked for snatching, was caught while trying to sell drugs near a college. Later, he revealed the name of his accomplice, Honey. Owner of a rehab centre, he had himself fallen prey to drugs.
On May 31, Frank, 21, and Chinoye, 39, both from Nigeria, were arrested with 200 grammes of heroin each from Mohali. On May 28, Maryam Wano, a Nigerian living in Kishanpura, was arrested with 280 grams of heroin, a testimony to the growing demand for this drug here.
HEROIN AND INJECTIONS
{{/usCountry}}HEROIN AND INJECTIONS
{{/usCountry}}Admitting to the problem, Harbir Singh Atwal, SP (Investigations) Mohali, said heroin is being brought here from Delhi. “It is a vicious circle, most of the drug addicts are also doubling as drug peddlers,” said the officer.
What compounds the problem is the easy availability of banned injections from suppliers in Ambala and Baddi. Buprenorphine, an opiod, and Pheniramine, which are banned for retail sale and used at rehabilitation centres, are among the most common drugs sold by peddlers at prices ranging from 250 to 300 per injection.
Tarlochan Singh, in charge of CIA Mohali, said these drugs are much in demand among youngsters due to their affordable prices. These injections, said SP Atwal, are sourced from Ambala, Baddi and even Ludhiana.
PHARMA FOOTPRINT
Underlining the involvement of pharma wholesalers in this business, a senior police officer said, “We have written to our counterparts in Haryana and Himachal Pradesh about the people we have identified but we are yet to see any action.”
The police allege that most of the heroin supply comes from Nigerian drug dealers, “We have so far arrested 18 Nigerian nationals for drug peddling. All of them claim to have bought heroin from Delhi,” said Rajinder Singh Sohal, superintendent of police, STF.
He rued that with both peddlers and addicts using WhatsApp to make deals, it is becoming increasingly difficult to reach the main supplier.
The police claim they have mapped the district for drug abuse and the problem is more acute in areas such as TDI, Janata colony in Nayagoan, Baltana, Dhakoli and Kharar.