Page 3 - Narcotics

MP drug haul: Accused shoots himself to evade questioning, surrenders later

An accused in the mega mephedrone drug seizure in Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh allegedly shot himself in the foot to escape tough police grilling and then surrendered in Mandsaur, an official has said. The Gujarat Anti-Terrorist Squad and the Narcotics Control Bureau on October 5 seized 907.09 kg of mephedrone and raw materials to make the drug worth Rs 1,814 crore from a factory in Bagroda in Bhopal. Premsukh Patidar alias farzi doctor' (phony doctor) was on the run after the drug haul. He surrendered at Afzalpur police station here with a gunshot wound in his left thigh inflicted with a country-made pistol. He is the fourth person to be arrested in the case, Mandsaur Superintendent of Police Abhishek Anand told PTI on Friday. A weapon was seized from Patidar, who has been admitted to the district hospital. The pistol seems to be illegal. Patidar wounded himself in a bid to avoid tough police grilling," the SP said. Patisar is allegedly the partner of another accused in the case, Hari

Giving anticipatory bail in NDPS Act case 'very serious' issue: SC

Granting anticipatory bail in a case registered under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act is a "very serious" issue and "unheard of", the Supreme Court said on Thursday. A bench headed by Justice B R Gavai and also comprising Justices Aravind Kumar and K V Viswanathan was hearing a plea filed by an accused seeking regular bail in a case lodged for alleged offences under provisions of the NDPS Act in West Bengal. The bench directed the West Bengal government to consider whether the state proposes to file an application seeking cancellation of anticipatory bail granted to four accused in a case. It issued notice to the state of West Bengal on the accused's bail plea and posted it for hearing after four weeks. The petitioner's counsel told the bench that four of the six accused in the case were granted pre-arrest bail while one of them was on regular bail. "In NDPS matter, anticipatory bail?" the bench wondered. "In NDPS matter, anticipatory bail is unheard of,"

Govt will give special grants to villages with drug-free status: Punjab CM

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann Wednesday said his government will give special grants to the villages that attain the drug-free status, as he inaugurated a new office for the state's apex anti-drug unit. Speaking after inaugurating the new office of the Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) in Mohali, the chief minister said his government is committed to make Punjab a drug-free state. "The state government will give special grants to the drug-free villages across Punjab," he said. These grants will be used for the promotion of sports and sporting infrastructure in villages, helping channelise the unbounded energy of the youth in a positive direction, he said. Already players from Punjab have brought laurels for the country in events like the Olympics, he said, adding youths from the state will bag more medals. On the occasion, he also launched anti-drug Helpline and WhatsApp Chatbot (9779100200), according to an official statement. Speaking after inspecting the newly constructed

Responsibility of all to make country narcotics, drug free: Amit Shah

He also pointed out that the trend of drug trafficking is changing now in the country

Five policemen among six J-K officials sacked for 'narco-terror links'

J-K Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha invoked Article 311 (2) (c) of the Constitution to terminate them

PM Modi urges nationwide use of MANAS Helpline in fight against drugs

PM Modi said, In Mann ki Baat, I have often discussed the challenges of drugs. Every family worries that their child might be exposed to drugs.

HM Shah chairs NCORD meeting, launches National Narcotics Helpline 'MANAS'

MANAS will have a toll-free number 1933, a web portal, a mobile app, and a UMANG app so that citizens of the country can anonymously connect

DRI seizes contraband worth Rs 3,500 cr in FY24, drugs major contributor

Revenue Intelligence officers have seized contrabands worth Rs 3,500 crore in 2023-24 fiscal, with narcotic drugs and gold seizures constituting a major chunk, a top official said on Thursday. Directorate of Revenue Intelligence Principal DG Mohan Kumar Singh said infiltration of supply chains has emerged as a significant challenge in curbing smuggling. Also, growing use of air passenger, courier and postal cargo for smuggling of drugs and other contrabands remains a concern. "In FY 2023-24, DRI detected 623 smuggling cases, almost an average of 2 cases per day, with seizure of contrabands of Rs 3,500 crore. The seizure of narcotics drugs and psychotropic substances constitute a major part of it, followed by seizure of gold," Singh said at a Ficci seminar on global challenges of illicit trade and way forward. According to sources, DRI has seized 1,658 kg of gold in 2023-24 fiscal, about 35 per cent more compared to a year ago. Singh said during the fiscal, DRI has also kept a watc

INS Talwar seizes 940 kgs of narcotics in operation Crimson Barracuda

This successful interdiction underscores the relentless commitment of the Indian Navy as a key partner within the CMF framework to combat the menace of drug trafficking

Coast Guard apprehends Pak boat with narcotics worth Rs 480 crore

In a sea-air coordinated operation, narcotics worth Rs 480 crore were seized from a Pakistani boat with six crew in the Arabian Sea near Porbandar by a multi-agency team led by the Indian Coast Guard, the defence ministry said on Tuesday. The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) and Gujarat Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) coordinated with the Coast Guard in the operation in the intervening nights of March 11 and 12, it said. The Indian Coast Guard (ICG), based on intelligence inputs, apprehended a Pakistani boat with six crew members and narcotics onboard, the ministry said in a statement. "The boat was apprehended about 350 km from Porbandar into Arabian Sea in a sea-air coordinated operation involving Indian Coast Guard ships and Dornier aircraft," it said. The ministry said the operation exhibited well-coordinated efforts between ICG, NCB and ATS Gujarat. It said the Indian Coast Guard, on specific intelligence input from agencies, strategically positioned its ships in the Arabian Sea on

India's highest-ever drug bust: 3,300 kg narcotics seized off Gujarat coast

Indian agencies Wednesday made their highest-ever narcotics bust from the sea as they seized 3,300 kg drugs, which sailed from an Iranian port, off the Gujarat coast and arrested five foreigners from a dhow. The cache could be worth anything between Rs 1,300-Rs 2,000 crore in the international market, Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) Director General S N Pradhan said. Home Minister Amit Shah called the joint operation by the Navy, NCB and the Gujarat Police a "historic success" and a testament of his government's "unwavering commitment to making our nation drug-free". The unregistered fishing boat was intercepted on Tuesday morning at the Arabian Sea from a point about 60 nautical miles from the Indian coast and along the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL). The Navy deployed its P8I long-range maritime reconnaissance aircraft and marine commandos onboard a warship apart from helicopters. About 3,300 kg of contraband that includes 3,110 kg charas or Hashish, 158.3 kg of cryst

Biggest offshore seizure of drugs done by NCB, Navy, Gujarat Police: Shah

The Narcotics Control Bureau, the Navy and the Gujarat Police have seized a gigantic consignment of 3,132 kg of drugs in a joint operation, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Wednesday. Shah said the historic success is a testament to the Modi government's unwavering commitment to making the nation drug-free. In a post on X, the home minister said pursuing Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of a drug-free Bharat, the agencies have achieved the grand success of making the biggest offshore seizure of drugs in the nation. "In a joint operation carried out by the NCB, the Navy, and the Gujarat Police, a gigantic consignment of 3132 kg of drugs was seized. The historic success is a testament to our govt's unwavering commitment to making our nation drug-free. On this occasion, I congratulate the NCB, the Navy, and the Gujarat Police," Shah said.

Gogoi urges PM to take action to combat narcotics smuggling from Myanmar

Congress deputy leader in the Lok Sabha, Gaurav Gogoi, has called upon Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take "decisive action" to address the widespread smuggling of narcotics from Myanmar into India. Gogoi emphasised that this illicit activity not only poses a threat to national security but also presents severe health risks to citizens. Recent media coverage has shed light on the alarming frequency of truck entries at Merapani border in Assam, indicating that smuggled Myanmar-origin areca nuts, colloquially known as Burmese supari, are making their way to our country through the porous India-Myanmar border in Mizoram and Manipur, the Assam MP said in a letter to the Prime Minister on Tuesday. Subsequently, these smuggled areca nuts find their way to Nagaland from where they are distributed to gutkha industries in Kanpur, Lucknow and West Bengal and these activities are conducted with blatant disregard for customs duties and regulations, he added. Other drugs such as heroin, opium,

Drone drops box containing 9 grenades, 1 pistol, IED in Jammu's Akhnoor

This is not the first instance where attempts have been made to smuggle arms or narcotics into the Indian territory from across the border

Intergovt coop essential to crack masterminds behind smuggling network: FM

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday stressed on the need for intergovernmental cooperation to crack the masterminds behind smuggling networks and take steps to deter illicit trade. Speaking at the Global Conference on Cooperation in Enforcement Matters organised by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence, Sitharaman said that customs authorities should share information among themselves to curb the network of illicit trade and efforts should be made to ensure that information shared is "actionable". Sitharaman also said that the nature of smuggled or illegally traded goods has not changed over the last 50-60 years and it continues to be precious metals, narcotics, precious reserves from forest or marine life. "So largely the goods which are illegally traded remain the same. There are no newer areas on which the customs authorities are baffled. If this is the way it is showing a trend over the decade, by now most of us should be fairly informed of who are the forces behind

Narco-finance, terror discussed at high-level meet chaired by Amit Shah

Internal security, terrorism, narco-finance and cyber security were some of the key subjects discussed at a high-level security conference chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah here on Thursday. The two-day conference, attended by top security officers, also discussed emerging national security challenges. On the first day of the conference, deliberations were held on various subjects of national security, including trends in terror, narco-financing in India, use of forensic science in investigation, social challenges, emergency preparedness for nuclear and radiological exigencies and cyber security framework, officials said. Inaugurating the conference, Shah said the central government, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is committed to ensuring a safe and secure nation by strengthening all aspects of national security mechanism. The home minister reiterated the government's commitment to tackle the menace of drug trafficking, besides other issues related to

Poor man's cocaine: $3 narcotic pill sold in Gulf a worry for the world

Already popular in parts of the Middle East with everyone from teenagers to low-income construction workers, the narcotic is easy to make

Aim that no youth under influence of narcotics: Shah destroyed drugs

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday said the fight against drugs is to ensure that no youth is under the influence of narcotics and the country is safe and free from illegal substances. Shah said this at a conference on "Drugs Smuggling and National Security" during which he watched through video conferencing destruction of more than 1.40 lakh kg drugs worth Rs 2,381 crore in various parts of the country. "Our aim is to ensure that no youth is under the influence of drugs.... Our aim is to make the country drugs free and secure. I appeal to all chief ministers and LGs (lieutenant governors) to extend all possible cooperation for it," he said. The home minister said that in the last one year 10 lakh kg drugs worth Rs 12,000 crore were destroyed and it is a very significant achievement. "Many congratulations to all the people involved in fulfilling such a big goal in the Azadi ki Amrit Mahotsav," he said. He said when the state and central governments along with all the agencies

Delhi Police destroys 16,000 kg seized narcotics on Int'l Drug Abuse Day

About 16,000 kilograms drugs and other psychotropic substances seized by the Delhi Police were destroyed in the northwestern part of the city on the International Day Against Drug Abuse Day on Monday, officials said. Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena inaugurated a programme at Biotic Waste Solutions Pvt Ltd in the RU Nagar Industrial area, GTK Road, where the drugs seized by the Crime Branch and Special Cell were destroyed, an official statement said. The programme was attended by Delhi Police Commissioner Sanjay Arora and other officers of city police, it added.

Govt to root out drugs, will not allow smuggling of narcotics: Shah

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday asserted that the Narendra Modi government will root out the menace of drugs from India and will not allow the smuggling of narcotics through the country. In a video message on the International Day Against Drug Abuse, Shah said the home ministry has adopted a zero-tolerance policy against narcotics and the results of this approach have started coming in. Shah said, "We have decided that we will not allow any kind of narcotics trade in India nor will we allow any drugs to be smuggled through India." He further said, "I fully believe that with coordinated efforts, we will be successful in rooting out the menace of drugs and achieve our goal of a drugs-free India. We will not rest until this fight against drugs is won." The war against drugs has been continuing, Shah said, and because of this coordinated action, narcotics worth Rs 22,000 crore were seized between 2014 and 2022. This is 30 times higher than the drugs worth Rs 768 crore that was