On International Day against Drug Abuse, NCB reports spike in drug seizures in NCR region

The seizure of drugs by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) in the National Capital region saw a spike during the 2015-16 financial year as about 225 kgs of contraband was seized from international peddling cartels.

On the occasion of the International Day against Drug Abuse on 26 June, NCB chief RR Bhatnagar, said the agency will carry out a special fortnight-long awareness campaign to combat the menace of drugs in the country.

According to the latest NCB data, the central agency tasked to combat the drugs menace in the country arrested a total of 27 peddlers during the fiscal - including 18 foreigners.

The agency seized 225 kgs of various category of narcotics like heroin, cocaine, charas, pseudoephedrine, methaqualone and amphetamine as part of its 47 operations in the NCR region during this time - a rise of about 34% as compared to the 167 kgs of such recoveries by the agency during the 2014-15 fiscal.

Out of the 18 foreigners arrested, seven were women who acted as couriers. One woman was among the nine Indians arrested in these cases during the same time period.

During 2014-15 fiscal, the NCB arrested 21 foreigners, including ten females and 25 Indians under the provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (NDPS). The arrested Indians included two women.

A total of 36 operations were conducted by the agency in the NCR during 2014-15, the data said.

Among the foreigners held for these offences, the majority came from African countries like Nigeria, South Africa, Ghana and Zimbabwe.

--PTI