Over 10 lakh psychotropic tablets seized in T.N. this year, says DGP

Tamil Nadu police have seized more than 10 lakh psychotropic tablets this year as part of intensified enforcement against drug trafficking, Director General of Police (DGP) and Head of Police Force Mahesh Kumar Aggarwal said on Wednesday.

Mr. Aggarwal was speaking to reporters after flagging off a 14-day National Motorcycle Rally Against Drug Abuse at Marina Beach to mark the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. The rally will cover 1,810 km across six States before reaching Ekta Nagar in Gujarat.

Mr. Aggarwal said the police have been conducting frequent raids and had seized 23,000 kg of ganja and more than 10 lakh psychotropic tablets so far this year. He appealed to the public to cooperate with the police in making Tamil Nadu drug-free.

The DGP said the police had identified the major sources of drug supplies entering Tamil Nadu and were taking steps, in coordination with other agencies, to curb trafficking at the source.

“Ganja is coming to Tamil Nadu from Odisha. A special team led by a Deputy Superintendent of Police is stationed there permanently. In coordination with the Odisha police and the Narcotics Control Bureau, we are making efforts to arrest drug traffickers in Odisha. We have also arrested some key accused,” he said.

He said the seizure of more than 10 lakh psychotropic tablets this year marked a significant increase from the less than one lakh tablets seized in the previous year, attributing the rise to intensified enforcement.

Dismissing allegations that drug traffickers continued to sell narcotics despite police action, Mr. Aggarwal termed them baseless and said the police were focused on dismantling entire trafficking networks. “When a drug offender is arrested, we investigate both the forward and backward links in the network. We are also probing the financial links and taking action against all those involved,” he added.

K. Shankar, Additional Director General of Police, Enforcement Bureau CID, said the State government had established 67 Anti-Narcotic Task Forces and deployed 2,500 personnel at a cost of ₹265 crore. Discussions at a recent meeting in New Delhi focused on eradicating narcotics by 2029, he said.