Pubdate: Sat, 08 Jun 2013
Source: Deccan Herald (India)
Copyright: 2013 The Printers (Mysore) Private Ltd.,
Contact:  http://www.deccanherald.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/4809
Authors: Chethan Kumar and Harsha Raj Gatty

HIGHWAY TO DRUG ADDICTION

Not only is the City's underbelly mired in couriering and peddling
drugs, the well-to-do are also at the crossroads of the malaise

Wearing different hats and being a hotbed of transformation, Bangalore
is tired. Tired of bearing people's thoughts, embracing diverse
cultures and dealing with its homeless. But it has not been able to
free itself from the addiction of gaining repute for things.

For, addiction is not alien to any culture. Diction cannot
differentiate its effects.

Known globally for various of its facets, now, Bangalore has slowly
grown into a place which bears the tag of having become a transit hub
for smugglers of narcotic substances, besides being a vibrant market
for certain kinds of drugs.

The lure is too strong. Not only does the City's underbelly find
itself mired in couriering, abusing and peddling drugs, but the
socially and economically well-to-do, are also in the crossroads of
the issue.

Investigating authorities, while stating that there are no distinct
categories that can be drawn while talking about drugs, cited an
example of an IT professional, who is facing trial.

"...He was drawing a salary of over a lakh, but could not prevent
himself from peddling drugs for a few thousand rupees," an officer
said.

The person was caught red-handed at the airport trying to smuggle in
Ketamin from Chennai. The arrest was based on intelligence from
agencies from Chennai, who had input that a local peddler was sending
in the drug through the techie to Bangalore.

At the centre of all this activity is Bengaluru International Airport
(BIA), which is witnessing a growth in such activity, as conceded by
officials. The Customs Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) and the Department
of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) have not made any such arrests this
year, but that is no reflection of how things are.

Last year, officers of Customs AIU had made several arrests of persons
carrying illegitimately drugs into Bangalore, from where it was to go
to other destinations like Sri Lanka or reach the hands of the City's
own customers.

In one such instance on October 8, 2012, an Indian passenger named
Andhar Sarma Chakkrapani, of Chennai who was departing to Kuala Lumpur
was arrested for concealing in his check-in baggage Methylene Dioxy
Amphetamine (MDA), which is a Psychotropic substance under the
National Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (NDPS) Act, 1985.

The goods were weighing 1.95 kg and costing around Rs 50 lakh per kg
in the international market. There have also been instances of three
passengers holding Indian passports, travelling to Kuala Lumpur and
being arrested for attempting to smuggle Ketamine.

"A total of 13.50-kg of Ketamine, another psychotropic substance, was
seized. Ketamine is priced approximately at Rs 10-lakh per kg in the
international market," a senior official said.

Stating there is enough evidence to suggest that such operations are
carried out through an international cartel, officials said that
places such as Sri Lanka and a few other South Asian countries receive
packages that leave Bangalore undetected.

Intelligence agencies say that the network works across the country,
with drugs coming into Bangalore from Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and
Punjab. Drugs such as opium arrive at these destinations from
Afghanistan and other countries, including Pakistan.

While seizures at BIA and other exit points of the city show that
Bangalore is growing as a transit point, seizures made by local
authorities, which have seen contraband estimated to be worth crores
of rupees in the international market, tell another tale.

A tale of such substances finding extensive demand on the streets of
Bangalore. According to officials, the age at which people were found
consuming drugs has reduced to 13 in 2012.

"It was 16 till 2011, but some of the victims (read drug users) found
last were as young as 13," an official from the health department
said, adding that the stories that come out of de-addiction centres
are heart-rending.

In the wake of an increase in the number of drug related cases in the
City, the police along with other anti-narcotic bureau have
intensified their actions against the transit-agents of drug cartels
and are trying to identify their operational hotbeds.

"Seizure of hard drugs or Psychotropic substances in the recent raids,
prove that, there is an an involvement of an international cartel.
Such things cannot be produced domestically as they require chemical
know-how and laboratory like infrasturcture and thorough funding. With
so many anti-narcotic agencies, a set-up like that cannot function in
the country without being undetected," says an intelligence officer
attached with the Narcotics control Bureau.

According to law enforcement officials, apart from the domestically
produced drugs such as Ganja, Cocaine, Opium, Heroin, recently, over
100 varieties of substances have been classified as Psychotropic
substances, banned internationally. However, over a period of time,
they have generated popular demand among its consumers.

"The psychotropic drugs such as ketamine or LSD (Lysergic acid
diethylamide) usually brought in to the city by foreign nationals,
with international airports being the primary route," Deputy
Commissioner of Police, Devaraj said.

However, he opined that unlike domestic produce, psychotropic drugs
are not freely available. "They are available only at exclusive places
or high class joints. Nowadays, they have also found a potential
market in several posh residential neighbourhoods in the city,"
another officer said.

According to the police, most of the drug-transit agents apprehended
are from African, Nepali origin, who come through BIA as tourists or
students. "They work in coordination with a local network, with whom
they distribute the contraband and profits of the trade," an official
said.

According to the NCB's database, Bangalore, Chennai, Mumbai, Guwahati
and Delhi, are among the major consumers of synthetic drugs like
Methamphetamine, Ephedrine and Ketamine, whereas states like Haryana,
Chandigarh, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab have greater demand
for Ganja, Cocaine, Opium and Heroin.

Although the NDPS, 1975, does not show any difference in punishments
for Indian nationals and foreigners, the law enforcement agencies are
in an uneasy position. They are at the risk of targeting innocent
travellers who visit the city, that can cause a major embarrassment
internationally. On several occasions, some officers have been
reprimanded for unintentional errors, Suresh S, a custom official at
BIA explained.

The authorities cannot apprehend suspects, unless they are in
possession of a narcotic substance. In some cases, the drug racketeers
identify an unsuspecting target without criminal background and lure
them for a 'paid-vacation' in return for delivering a drug-laden
container to a foreign country. The transit-agent is usually unaware
of the substance in the container and if caught, is also unable to
identify the receiver.

Ultimately, he faces the law of the land, an officer
explains.

Further, even in the technological front, the agencies are facing
severe backlog in drug detection. This is because the drug-traffickers
have modernised their production process and have been even
manufacturing odour-free drugs to deceive the enforcement authorities.
According to reports available with Deccan Herald, out of the 49 drug
related cases registered by the Central Crime Branch (CCB) in the past
three years, over 50 per cent of the cases of Psychotropic drugs were
recovered from the possession of foreign nationals. Since 2011, the
city police along with other anti-narcotic agency have seized over
50-kg of Ganja, 10-kg of Cocaine and other substances, that command a
street value of crores of rupees.

* As recently as Friday night, the K P Agrahara Police conducted a
surprise raid and apprehended Kishan Kumar Meghaval, 28 and Rakesh,
23, hailing from Rajasthan and seized 2.1-kg of opium which was being
sold to customers near Gopalan Residency, Telecom Layout. Two others,
Gyanaram and Tejaram Chowdary escaped.

* Based on the information provided by the arrested persons, another
eight kgs of opium estimated to be worth Rs 60 lakh was seized.
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MAP posted-by: Matt