dna impact: Anti-Narcotic Cell told to smoke drug peddlers out

A day after dna did a sting operation on the ease at which drugs are sold in the city, joint commissioner of police (Crime), Himanshu Roy, has instructed the Anti Narcotics Cell (ANC) to hold an urgent high-level meeting to strengthen vigilance by activating squads around the city.

Over the last few days, dna visited four spots in the city and bought drugs from peddlers in busy areas of Juhu, Worli, Khar and Malad. This was reported with pictures in Tuesday’s edition.

Roy said: “The expose was a great initiative. I’ve told my team to crack down on vulnerable spots, including those exposed by dna. Our worry is the growing number of peddlers near schools and colleges,” he said.

After the sting, ANC officials held a meeting. Assistant commissioner of police DD Kale, said he sent his teams to the spots mentioned in dna but we did not nab anyone. “The hunt is on,” he said, asking for photographs carried by dna. to help identify the peddlers.

He pointed to inefficiency in crackdowns by various agencies. “It is the responsibility of local police, Narcotics Control Bureau and Excise Department. I don’t find coordination and efficiency from these agencies,”  he said.

Anti-drug activists say that unless demand dips, supply will not. Psychiatrist Yusuf Matcheswalla said “We’re working on reducing demand by addressing children, youth and parents. Our focus is to demotivate people from experimenting and to identify addiction symptoms.”