Drugged, desperate and dangerous

Decades ago, when mainstream and social media were not so all-pervasive as today, drug abuse was a fatal thought. Bombarded with TV ads that showed dramatic visuals of how drug addiction could devastate lives, the youth baulked, parents took note. Strangely, that drive ended long ago.

Today, as drug addiction spreads its evil tentacles in Bengaluru’s school and college campuses, as its well-oiled demand and supply network flourishes with ease, awareness has vanished. So has regulation. Is there hope for the City as it slips deeper into this abyss of despair?

Law enforcers say they are helpless. They just cannot penetrate the complex network of international suppliers, inter-state distributors, local peddlers and a clientele that cuts across barriers of class. Bengaluru’s transformation as a major hub in this nefarious nexus has clearly left them stumped.

Over the years, the city’s explosive growth has fuelled inward migration of unprecedented levels. This influx has completely transformed the old culture.

The police, de-addiction professionals and reformed addicts assert that the drug network is now so pervasive that it often sparks crimes and social unrest.

Evolved drug network
The network within the city is extremely evolved. Supplies from outside reach multiple destinations, from where the required drugs in small quantities are distributed to the hotspots close to colleges, slums and transport hubs.

But, as a source well-informed about the network discloses, the spots keep changing to hoodwink the police. The drug sachets are labelled in myriad ways to mislead the law-enforcers. The customer-supplier engagement too is kept discreet.

Multiple middle agents, including street urchins are employed to complete the sales connection.
“Many long-time addicts too have turned distributors as they see big money involved in the supply chain,” explains the source. 

Here’s an estimation of the costs as furnished by the city police: A single gram of cocaine costs about Rs 2,000. A kilogram of ganja can be as expensive as Rs 20,000. Opium sells at about Rs. 30,000 a kg. Each gram of hashish/charras costs Rs 1,500. It is Rs 4,000 for a small LSD paper and MDMA sells at Rs 3,000 for every gram.

International origins
These drugs have international origins, from Pakistan to distant African countries. The drugs enter Indian territories through the five river belts in Punjab that share the border with Pakistan. Nepal is another key route where peddlers exploit the free movement of men and machinery.

Taking the aerial route, the peddlers from Nepal often make use of low frisking at airports such as Goa. Delhi and Mumbai too are their favoured transit points. Distant destinations deeper into India are reached by road and rail. Police say the peddlers prefer domestic flights thanks to improper frisking and checking.

The message is clear: Multiple routes have been perfected to get the drugs into Bengaluru. This supply route and a flourishing network of distributors and varied customer base have amplified the threat of Narco Terrorism to the city. This brand of terrorism is designed to push banned substances to adversely affect the physical and mental health of youngsters.    

The supply route from African countries, Nigeria and Sudan in particular, to Bengaluru is problematic for the police. Here’s why: A big population of overstaying African students. As a senior official explains, these foreigners come on student and medical visa, stay illegally and turn drug peddlers.

College hotspots
Drug sales and abuse have been found to be rampant in those colleges and localities with a high proportion of African students. But it has slowly spread to other colleges as well.

Institutions close to areas such as TC Palya, JC Road, Jayanagar, Koramangala, Dairy Circle on Hosur Road, Yelahanka, KS Layout, Mathikere, Kengeri and Nelamangala are in the drug target list, say the police.

To get a sense of how well spread the drug network is in Bengaluru, check the police cases booked over the recent years.

Fifty-five cases were registered for banned drug sales in 2013, which fell to 45 in 2014 before peaking at 69 cases in 2015. Till April this year, the police have taken up a total of 24 cases.

Low conviction rate
But these numbers could have been much higher. The police themselves admit that the conviction rate is also very low in drug abuse cases. In quite a few cases, the forensic reports are adverse since the presence of banned substances in the durgs seized would be less than the permissible limit.

Tricky area
Tests are not evolved enough to track the other substances that peddlers add to dilute the drugs and evade police action. Getting mahazar and public witnesses in drug abuse cases is another tricky area. But the big problem, as the men in khaki themselves admit in private, cases are seldom taken to their logical ends. This could be one reason why the drug network has turned so powerful in Bengaluru!