Meghalaya police breaks 50 year drug seizure record

Staff Reporter

Shillong, March 10: Director General of Police LR Bishnoi today said the police have arrested 234 drug peddlers and drug users in 2022 and seized drugs worth over Rs 50 crore from them surpassing the state’s collective records of the past 50 years.

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The police seized over 7 kg of heroin worth over Rs 45.22 crore and over 27,000 bottles of cough syrup worth over Rs 1.38 crore last year, he said.

“We have arrested 234 drug peddlers and drug users which include 20 women last year and seized drugs worth over Rs 50 crore,” Bishnoi said.

The drugs seized include over 7 kg of heroin worth over Rs 45.22 crore and over 27,000 bottles of cough syrup worth over Rs 1.38 crore last year besides other items like ganja (nearly 4 tonnes), opium (over 600 gm), methamphetamine tablets (over 12,800 tablets), he said.

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The DGP said that the recovery in 2022 has surpassed the recorded seizure of the past 50 years in this hill state and 116 cases were registered.

He also said that there is an upward trend of arrest, seizure and registration of drugs related cases this year too.

“In the first 70 days, 80 people were arrested and heroin seized was over 3 kg, ganja seized was 140 kg, 60,000 tablets, 22,000 bottles of cough syrups and Rs 28 lakh cash,” he said.

The DGP informed that 25 per cent of the arrests made were of traffickers from other states which include Tripura, Mizoram and Manipur besides Punjab, Bihar and Bengal.

Repenting that many of the jailed drug peddlers and users got bail, Bishnoi said that delay in getting reports from the Forensic Laboratories resulted in their securing bail from the courts.

He also informed that the police department has formed a supervisory committee headed by SP (CID) to monitor drug-related cases to ensure speedy submission of chargesheets and cases do not fail.

Drug users increasing in Shillong says DGP; 5 caught red handed with heroin in Mawprem

Staff Reporter

Shillong, March 10: Five persons including a woman were arrested in Shillong city for possessing heroin. Two operations were conducted at Lower Mawprem yesterday. One person was arrested with 5 soap boxes of heroin weighing 66.46 grams from the back gate of the KHADC office at the Mawprem area during the first operation.

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The police team also raided in the area of Lower Mawprem Lumsohphoh and seized 20 soap boxes containing heroin of 268.7 grams, 60 syringes and cash of Rs 6.87 lakh from the possession of two males and two females.

All have been arrested and the cases are under further investigation.

“Out of the four, one is a lactating mother. There is evidence of the involvement of the two ladies. They are very active as far as the supply of drugs is concerned,” Director General of Police (DGP) Dr LR Bishnoi told reporters today.

“Syringes are recovered. This indicates injecting drug users is increasing in Shillong. That is very dangerous as it can cause AIDS also. In every raid, 40-60 syringes are also recovered. This is a real cause of concern for all of us,” Dr Bishnoi said.