Image for representation.
| Photo Credit: The Hindu
Telangana is battling a drug problem. Hyderabad has emerged as a transit hub for drugs, with marijuana being ferried through the city to be supplied to neighbouring Maharashtra and Karnataka. Konark Express, which runs between Bhubaneshwar and Mumbai through Hyderabad, is used to transport drugs, according to the police. During the recent meeting between the Chief Ministers of Andhra Pradesh and Telanganatackling this problem was an important item on the agenda.
The arrests of drug peddlers and the seizure of contraband shows the gravity of the problem. Between 2020 and 2022, the number of people charge-sheeted for possession and peddling of drugs went up from 735 to 3,052 in the State. In the first six months of this year, nearly 1,900 cases were lodged by State officials against peddlers and users. It is not just natural psychedelic drugs that are flooding Hyderabad. In February, Telangana busted an international ring which was being run from a prison in Goa: ₹8 crore worth of synthetic psychedelics including OG Kush or Ocean Grown Weed and Ecstasy pills were seized.
Prior to becoming Chief Minister, A. Revanth Reddy had dared the then IT Minister K.T. Rama Rao to undergo a drug test. Calling it the ‘White Challenge’, he suggested that politicians and celebrities in the State undergo drug analysis tests to create awareness among the youth. An angry Mr. Rao filed a defamation case against him. As Chief Minister and Home Minister, Mr. Reddy clearly wants results. Recently, when officials checked 50 attendees of an Electronic Dance Music party in Hyderabad with drug detection kits, they found that 24 of them had traces of narcotics in their body. A few days prior to this, students at the city’s top medical college and of a private management college were caught using marijuana. Catching drug users and peddlers creates a buzz in the media, but it does little to solve the problem. Home Minister Amit Shah said as much when he asked the Narco Coordination Centre to focus on the trade and not the users. “The goal of all agencies should be not just to catch those who use drugs, but to dismantle its entire network,” he said.
The drug problem is complicated in Hyderabad as there is a large influx of people into the city in search of jobs and education; in this stream of humanity, the drug smugglers blend in. The police have deployed the latest technology, including the 12-panel drug test, which tests for 12 drugs, including the most popular ones, for instant identification of drug abuse. The State is likely to get more expensive and accurate multi-panel metabolite test kits for identifying drug users. Sniffer dogs have been pressed into service and are being take to pubs and transit hubs to find the contraband.
The signs of this problem have been there for years. In 2017, during a high-profile drug bust, the names of well-known film stars and elite schools from where students were buying drugs were revealed. The Enforcement Directorate conducted a probe into money laundering in 2021. Finally, a Special Investigation Team of the Excise Department gave a clean chit in September 2021. Prior to this, the official who brought to light the case was transferred out. The case thus died a slow death. If it had been taken to its logical conclusion, at least it would have given the message that the State it taking the problem seriously.
During the 2017 drug abuse case, the dark web was used to procure drugs. Seven years later, the police say e-commerce apps are being used for bulk delivery. The Telangana Anti-Narcotics Bureau has sent cease and desist notices to eight firms in Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh which are manufacturing ganja-laced chocolates, which were being shipped using e-commerce platforms.
Showing political will to fight the drug menace is an encouraging sign. But this fight should be about the drugs and should not turn into a witch hunt with specific localities being targeted, parks being shut down, and institutions being shamed publicly. Many worry that the shutting down of pubs, cafes, and restaurants before midnight will lead to the death of night life in the city. This will hurt the economy in the short run and affect the business environment in the long run. The fight against the drug menace requires smart policing. It should be targeted at the producers and suppliers and not users.
