Delhi Police seizes over 20 kg heroin, 800 kg cannabis in first quarter of 2023

SHEKHAR SINGH

The Delhi Police on Wednesday claimed that in the first quarter of the year, over 20 kilograms of heroin and 800 kilograms of cannabis (ganja) worth several crore Rupees in the illegal drug market, have been seized.

Data shared by the police reveals that since January, they have seized around 20 kilograms of heroin/smack, 15 kilograms of cocaine, 800 kilograms of ganja, and 125 kilograms of opium in various operations across the national capital.

In a recent operation, the Crime Branch has arrested seven criminals, including an Afghan national, who were involved in a large-scale international drug racket. They have been sent to judicial custody, and the police have seized 8.563 kilograms of high-quality heroin in the operation. This stash is estimated to be worth Rs 50 crore in the illegal drug market.

"The Delhi Police has been actively pursuing a crackdown on drug trafficking in the city. Under the guidance and leadership of Commissioner of Police Sanjay Arora, the Delhi Police is committed to implementing the 'Zero Tolerance' policy against drugs," said Special Commissioner of Police (Crime) Ravindra Singh Yadav.

"We have been successful in seizing large quantities of drugs in recent operations, which are worth crores in the illegal drug market. The police have also arrested several individuals involved in drug trafficking and have taken stringent action against them," Yadav said.

The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) in the Delhi zone arrested 113 people, including 36 foreign nationals, in various drug abuse and smuggling cases reported throughout 2022.

According to official data accessed by IANS, the NCB registered 85 cases in 2022 and seized nearly 200 kg of contraband, with a total worth of approximately Rs 940 crore.

Among the seized drugs, heroin was the most addictive at 117.007 kg, followed by cocaine at 14.5 kg, opium at 13.505 kg, and 303 gm of ecstasy (MDMA), also known as the party pill.

Additionally, 1.1 kg of methaqualone, 13.2 kg of pseudoephedrine, 12.2 kg of amphetamine, and 820.7 gm of methamphetamine were seized by the NCB.

NCB confiscated over 2 lakh tablets of pharmaceutical drugs and 3.6 kg of other psychotropic substances.