Surat: The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) observed the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking on Friday through the seizure of two kgs of cocaine from Surat, Gujarat. One person has been arrested in this connection under relevant provisions of NDPS Act, 1985.
The DRI and other agencies are carrying out sustained efforts to crack down on the trafficking of narcotics in the country as part of the government’s “Nasha Mukt Bharat” vision.
The crackdown on drugs and traffickers is crucial as intelligence agencies have found links to terror financing. In states like Punjab, narcotics are sent from across the border to revive militancy, it has been realised.
The DRI has carried out a series of operations at various airports, railway stations, courier terminals, and highways in Mumbai, Delhi, Jaipur, Patna, Cochin, and Ahmedabad, over the last one month and made a cumulative seizure of 26 kg cocaine. During these operations, 22 persons, including 14 foreign nationals, were arrested. This quantity die not include the two kg seized on Friday.
During the raids, DRI sleuths have come across various methods used by traffickers to move the contraband. In many cases, drug-filled capsules or pellets are ingested to avoid detection. Sometimes, these capsules or pellets are hidden inside various body cavities.
Narcotics are sometimes concealed in household and edible items, or soaked in fabrics. Sometimes they are hidden in specially designed compartments in baggage.
“We have been carrying out intelligence-based operations to target the menace. The end users are normally the youth of the country and their future is at stake. Even the country’s dream of emerging as “Viksit Bharat” will get impacted unless this menace is curbed,” an official said.
DRI has consistently targeted organized syndicates engaged in the trafficking of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances through coordinated operations,
Incidentally, June 26 is observed as the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking every year. Established by the United Nations in 1987, this day is dedicated internationally to strengthening global action, raising awareness about the devastating impacts of substance abuse, and combating the illegal drug trade.
