Data suggests that while drugs worth Rs 1.86 crore were seized in the entire year in 2016, drugs worth Rs 12.50 crore have been seized this year 2017 till December 15
There has been a sevenfold rise in drug seizures in 2017 compared to last year. The data revealed by the Mumbai police's Anti Narcotics Cell (ANC) shows that the value of the party drugs seized in 2017 is roughly seven times that of the value of those seized in 2016.
Data suggests that while drugs worth Rs 1.86 crore were seized in the entire year in 2016, drugs worth Rs 12.50 crore have been seized this year 2017 till December 15.
More notable is the seizure and demand of high-profile party drugs like heroin and LSD, which are imported through the darknet using bitcoins, said police.
The LSD haul has increased from 116 dot papers last year to 1,615 this year, while that of heroin has risen from 1 kg to 2.14 kg, which is worth almost Rs 3 crore.
The ANC said that due to their sustained action on MDMA manufacturing units, which is the source of the supply of party drug M-Kat, the latter's availability in the market has taken a hit.
However, the demand for other party drugs started increasing and more heroin and LSD found its way into the city.
"MD had replaced high-profile drugs like cocaine and heroin as it is manufactured in India itself and has a huge demand in the local market. But since the crackdown on its manufacturing units, other drugs' supply started increasing. The origin of these drugs is out of India. For drugs like LSD, the suppliers use Darknet, which is alarming because all transactions take place in the virtual space using bitcoins," said a senior police officer.
MD, which is a component of the M-Kat, also known as meow-meow and mephedrone, is usually in high demand considering its easy availability and cheaper rate. In the year 2017, MD peddling saw a sharp rise, increasing from 3 kg to 33 kg (worth Rs 6.6 crore).
"The increase in seizures is owed to sustained action against drug syndicates operating in the city.There is a change in the trend of drug supply after our crackdown on MD suppliers and manufacturers. We are continuously cracking the whip on drug peddlers and targeting suppliers," said Shivdeep Lande, Deputy Commissioner of Police (ANC).
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