Bengaluru: Drugs available like chocolates to children; cops on strict vigil

Bengaluru: Drugs are getting into the hands of children like chocolates in Bengaluru. The state capital, boasts of having ruffled many feathers like Silicon City, City of Science and Technology. Recently, the infamous feather of "Drugs Hub" has been attached to that crown. There is a reason for this.

The drug network has expanded to the extent that children can get it similar to chocolates available in shops. This is supported by the recent cases coming to light. Few days ago, a maximum of four quintals of ganja was seized in the jurisdiction of DJ Halli police station. This is said to be a record in recent years.

The state capital, which is known as IT-BT hub, Silicon City, has become a black spot on the world map, turning into a children's drug yard. Parents are worried that drugs are getting into the hands of children everywhere, just like chocolates are available in shops. Police sources estimate that more than Rs 136 crore worth of drugs are being traded annually in Bangalore alone. The target of peddlers are students of reputed engineering, medical and degree colleges. The network of supplying drugs to the places indicated by the students if they pay as much as they ask has spread across the state capital.

Parents are struggling to control their children who are taking drugs through their friends. Compared to other districts in the entire state, the number of children addicted to drugs is very high in Bengaluru. The challenge for parents is to curb this.

Ganja, Cocaine, MDMA, Charas, Nicotine, Heroin, Opium, MDMA Pill, LSD, Hashish, Brown Sugar, Hashish Oil, Amphetamine, Benzodia Pill, Marijulla, Bucky, Yaba Restyl, Anixit Nitrosan Drugs are most common among school and college students in Bangalore. Also sold to techies and entrepreneurs.

Among these, the ganja is easily available, and its transactions are taking place at a high rate. Besides, more than 110 varieties of drugs are easily accessible to children. As the demand for synthetic drugs increased, the number of peddlers also doubled.

Senior police officers say that the number of drug sellers in the city and the number of children who are addicted to drugs have increased 4 times year by year, which is an alarming development. Over 15,368 kg of ganja has been seized in Bengaluru City alone in the last six and a half years. In 2022, a total of 4228.44 kg was seized in 4,042 cases. In January 2023, 1,773 kg of synthetic drugs were seized in connection with 15 cases.

Desolate areas near the prestigious colleges and high schools of the city are the selling point of peddlers who sell ganja, cocaine, brown sugar in small packets to the students. Drugs like LSD strips and MDMA pills are being supplied by foreign peddlers. Apart from this, drugs are being sold in abundance in parks, crowded bus stands, deserted areas with no traffic, buildings under construction, dance bars and clubs.

Apart from this, many WhatsApp groups, various websites, social networking sites like Instagram, Facebook, Telegram have also created a system of booking and bringing it to the doorstep. Apart from this, recently in Bangalore, this business has spread to the point where drugs are placed inside food boxes and delivered to doorsteps in the guise of food delivery boys. While drugs like MDMA, LSD in abundance are reaching Bangalore from Mumbai, drugs like ganja, opium, heroin are being supplied by train from Andhra, Orissa, West Bengal.

There is an abundant supply of ganja to Bangalore in trains and goods vehicles from the hilly areas of Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Odisha. Drugs like LSD, Hafeem, Cocaine, MDMA, Brown sugar are being supplied by foreign peddlers. Peddlers who buy drugs at low prices per kg outside, are selling them at 30 to 50 times higher prices in the city. Foreign peddlers are living a luxurious life by making lakhs of money by selling drugs. The peddlers who were recently arrested by the CCB police said that there is a high demand for drugs from college students, techies, businessmen and women of north Indian origin in the city.

It has been alleged that the "naxals" who were to protect the oppressed community have now forgotten their original purpose and have resorted to ganja peddling for livelihood. In 60 districts of the country, they have found a place in the middle of dense forest and without funding, livelihood, income to buy weapons, they grow ganja and earn crores of rupees annually. It is suspected that 70 per cent of the ganja is being supplied to Karnataka by Naxals.

Marijuana is grown on hundreds of acres within the dense forest area of Araku valley, bordering Andhra Pradesh and Odisha. The drug dealers in their contact are in association with the citydrug dealers. Arrested peddlers have revealed during the interrogation that they dry the ganja found here and fill it in small packets and sell it to the customers.