Seizures point to increasing drug abuse in Kangra

Lalit Mohan

The Kangra police campaign against drug peddlers in the district has yielded results. 

In the past 10 months, the police have arrested about 250 drug peddlers, including retailers and suppliers from different parts of the district. They have also seized 17-kg charas, 49-kg poppy husk, 488-gm heroin, 251-gm opium, 131 poppy plants and 27,057 psychotropic drug capsules from those arrested.

The campaign has dealt a major blow to drug peddling operations in Kangra that are at its peak during the month of June, which is also a peak tourist season. 

SP Kangra Santosh Patial, who spearheaded the campaign, said: “Some drug peddlers who have been arrested, have been in this business for the past many years. They have amassed huge properties from the income generated from smuggling narcotics and sale. We are trying to confiscate the property of one drug smuggler. A joint operation was carried out with the Punjab Police in border areas to curb the practice of drug peddling in some villages that were infamous for it.”

The amount being made by drug peddlers can be gauged from the fact that a smuggler, who was arrested recently, had a Harley Davidson motor bike.

Charas is generally smuggled to Kangra district from Mandi and Kullu districts of Himachal. Over the past few years, there have been reports that charas was also being produced in Bara and Chhota Bhangal tribal areas of Kangra district. The demand of charas increases in the peak tourist season in Kangra and is more among foreign tourists coming to Himachal.

Most of the peddlers arrested by the Kangra police operate in McLeodganj and its surrounding tourist areas.

The increase in seizure of heroin in Kangra district has surprised many. Most of the seizures have been from the border areas of the district. Some of the arrested are residents of Gurdaspur or Pathankot districts of Punjab. The sources in the police said heroin, a synthetic drug, was being smuggled to Himachal through border areas from Punjab. Last year, 3-kg heroin was seized by the Kangra police that illustrates that its use was increasing among the local youth.

Interestingly, the police have also recovered 27,057 psychotropic drug capsules from peddlers in this year. Last year, about 25,000 capsules were recovered. The seizures indicate that there has been no slow down in the inflow of psychotropic drugs in Kangra. Generally, chemists were blamed earlier for selling psychotropic drugs to the youth. However, a new trend has emerged, in which drug peddlers smuggle in large amounts of psychotropic drugs to addicts for sale through shopkeepers or vendors.

Besides carrying out the drive against drug peddlers, the police have also started an awareness drive in the entire district to highlight the plight of drug abuse.

Seizures made by Kangra police till Oct 15 

• Charas 17 kg
• Opium 251 gm
• Poppy husk 49 kg
• Heroin 488 gm
• Poppy plants 131
• Psychotropic drugs 27,057
• Rexof Syrup (bottles) 509 
• Case for confiscation of
  property of drug peddlers     1