Big fish in drug supply chain remain elusive

SHILLONG: The menace of drug addiction is turning into a hydra with police finding it difficult to identify the big fish involved in the supply chain.
In the past one year, several small-time drug traffickers were arrested in the city but how far the netting of fries is helping in addressing the problem remains a question.
Speaking to reporters here on Monday, East Khasi Hills SP Davis R. Marak said the city is a transit point for drug supply and big players might not be here.
“It is quite difficult to establish a chain from small-time drug traffickers who have been arrested by police in the recent past,” he added.
Shillong has multiple entry points for drugs and the most common route for smugglers is Myanmar-Manipur-Silchar-Shillong route.
The SP said the local police are coordinating with the neighbouring states and other agencies who are working against drug abuse so that the supply chain can be broken. During the Assembly session in March, Chief Minister Mukul Sangma had said the Government would go after the kingpins and also strengthen the Inspectorate of Drugs to curb the problem.
But till the police succeed in netting the kingpins, they are resorting to regular awareness programmes for school-goers and in various localities. The department is also sprucing up its intelligence to catch drug shipments.
In 2016, 41 cases under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act were registered in East Khasi Hills and 81 people were arrested. The police also seized 10 strips of Spasmo Proxyvon tablets, 363 kg of ganja and 219.34 gm of heroin.
This year, 15 cases have been registered so far and 29 people arrested, besides seizure of 113.03 gm of heroin in the district alone.
Marak said families as well as the society play an important role in helping an addict. “Sometimes families do not accept that their children are addicted to drugs. Instead of helping them, such approach is further amplifying the problem,” he added.
There is a provision under the NDPS Act where a first-time trafficker or a minor can be pardoned by the court if he or she agrees to go to a rehabilitation centre.
When asked about the drug users within the police, Marak said he has not come across anyone in the police department who is a drug user. However, he added that if there are such instances, the higher-ups will monitor the suspects and “there is a mechanism to check whether anyone is a drug user”.
When asked how drugs are destroyed, the SP said the Sadar Police Station has a strong room where seized drugs are stored for producing in the court during trials. “If the court gives the directive for its destruction, the seized drugs are destroyed in the presence of a magistrate,” he said.