DNA Micro Edit: Drug-trade sees three-fold increase, police on alert

Mumbai is one of the major transit points in the country for the drug trade. An over three-fold surge in the quantity and value of drugs seized by the Mumbai Police’s Anti-Narcotics Cell in the first four months of this year, as compared to the whole of 2016, only goes to show the kind of increase in demand in the city.

Earlier, cheap drugs such as hashish and marijuana were high in demand, but cocaine, which is one of the most expensive contraband made its way into the Mumbai market in recent years.

With changing times, preferences of drug users have changed too. The high price for cocaine means that mephedrone has been in high demand in the local market.

Manufacturers started preparing mephedrone, also known as MD, Meow Meow and M-Cat, locally. Chemicals that are used to manufacture MD narcotics are ‘controlled substances’, but are easily available in the market.

The popularity of MD among teenagers in the city is a massive concern. In 2015, the government included MD as a psychotropic substance under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985 for a curb on its sale and consumption across the country.

While the increase in drug seizures in the city indicates an intensive crackdown by the police, this needs to be continued by them. This will entail bolstering the ground level intelligence network, taking colleges and schools into confidence to keep a check on sale of drugs to students, and more outreach initiatives with youngsters.