The Bengaluru Customs Zone, in collaboration with the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), on Wednesday destroyed over 240 kg of a variety of seized narcotic drugs, such as heroin, MDMA, ganja, and pseudoephedrine, seized over the past two years worth ₹270 crore. The seized narcotics were destroyed in an incineration unit at Tumakuru.
The Drug Law Enforcement Handbook prescribes the process of destruction of narcotics which have been attempted to smuggle in and out of the country.
Balamurugan K., Bengaluru Commissioner of Customs, explained that this process is routinely done to dispose seized narcotics by filing an application before the Magistrate under the NDPS Act, 1985. After obtaining the Magistrate’s approval, the police then move to destroy these drugs by incineration with the approval of the State Pollution Control Boards.
Before destruction, these drugs are stored in safely secured warehouses with 24x7 surveillance where they are periodically examined and reviewed. After it accumulates at a critical mass level, it is taken for disposal. This level depends on the value of these drugs and its volatility. A sample of the seized drug is however retained as evidence for the prosecution.
Recent seizures
Among recent seizures, in February, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence tracked a Ugandan man who swallowed over 1 kg of heroin worth over ₹7 crore at the Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru. In May, two young advocates were arrested at the Museum Road Post Office with nearly 400 grams of hydroponic weed valued over ₹2 lakh.
With the rise of the dark web, officials are concerned that the anonymity of peddlers has made it harder to trace them. They also said since the outbreak of the pandemic, the movement of narcotics through postal parcels has significantly surged. Despite this, the police and intelligence have been alert to track and regulate this syndicate, they maintained.
