Inter-State ganja smuggling gangs active after decline of Maoist movement, coordinated action imperative to curb drug menace: DGP C. V. Anand

There has been a surge in the activities of ganja smugglers operating from the forest-fringe areas in neighbouring States following the decline of Maoist movement, Director General of Police C. V. Anand said.

The need of the hour is a unified action to wage a joint fight against the drug menace to protect future generations from the scourge of narcotics, the DGP said while addressing the media in Khammam on Tuesday.

He underscored the need for better coordination between the EAGLE, Telangana’s Anti-Narcotic Task Force, and the district police to dismantle the gangs involved in ganja smuggling and peddling through Khammam district, considered the gateway to Telangana.

The DGP said the Maoists had earlier targeted ganja (cannabis) cultivators in the forested regions. However, with the decline in Maoist movement, the inter-State gangs of ganja smugglers had expanded their operations.

Describing ganja peddlers as “more dangerous than Maoists”, Mr. Anand said, the drug menace was spreading rapidly and called for a united action involving law enforcement agencies and all sections of society to curb the drug menace.