Guwahati: Since the administration of Assam, led by chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, assumed office in May 2021, state police have confiscated drugs worth over Rs 500 crore.
According to the official numbers released by the Assam police, at least 2,834 cases have been reported under the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act since May 2021 last year.
“After the present government has taken over, Assam Police has registered 2,834 cases under NDPS Act, arrested more than 4838 drug traffickers and seized 94 kgs of Heroin, 22348 kgs of Ganja, 187 kgs of Opium, 38lakh of Yaba and other tablets, 2.2 lakhs of Cough Syrup bottles, 214 kgs of Cannabis, 0.31 kgs of Cocaine, cash amount of Rs. 2.4 crores and 320 vehicles. Destroyed 648 bighas of opium cultivation and 32 bighas of cannabis cultivation. In total, drugs worth more than 548.53 crores have been seized,” said an Assam police statement.
A ‘Drugs Free Assam’ smartphone app was also launched to collect information from citizens concerning drug usage, sale, supply, and transportation.
The state police have produced and disseminated a thorough one-stop user handbook for investigating NDPS Act matters to all investigating personnel. CID Assam, in collaboration with the NCB in New Delhi, has organised training programmes for dealing with drug trafficking via the dark web and cryptocurrency.
“A total of 21 habitual drug traffickers have been detained under the Prevention of Illicit Trafficking in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (PITNDPS), Act and properties of the drug traffickers are frozen under the provisions of NDPS Act,” the statement further read.