Seized drugs are collected in one place and destroyed, or given away for research, police say.
After the Bengaluru City Police posted a reel about a series of drug busts by the Central Crime Branch (CCB) on Instagram, netizens were curious about where the seized drugs end up. The reel, posted on October 23, captured how the CCB seized ganja-laced biscuits and chocolates at the K G Nagar post office. It also covered some of the CCB’s other drug busts.
“When we come across any drugs — both natural and synthetic — we seize them and keep them with us,” explained a high-ranking police officer.
“We retain possession of the drugs until the perpetrator is tried, and then we follow the court’s order,” he added.
Once a court order is issued, two actions may be taken: they are either destroyed or donated to pharmaceutical, medical, or chemical companies for research or treatment.
Destruction is the preferred choice, the officer shares. Before they are destroyed, the entire storage process is thoroughly documented, and strict internal standard operating procedures (SOPs) are followed. The seized contraband is collected and organised by zones, and stored in the districts where it is found.
However, if there is a need for the drugs to be used in research, treatment, or even for training dog squads, extensive permissions and monitoring are required for the transfer.
Destruction occurs twice a year — in March and June. “We cannot destroy the drugs immediately after seizing them; we must wait until all trials are concluded before destruction,” the official stated.
Method of destruction
In Bengaluru, the drugs are destroyed through incineration. “We completely burn all the seized substances, and to prevent any contamination from drug-infused smoke, ash, and residue entering the environment, we use an electrical incinerator similar to those used for medical waste.”
He added that a proper disposal mechanism is in place, where even the ashes are filtered, and thorough cleaning is carried out to ensure no residue remains.
The Bengaluru City Police have two drug destruction sites on the outskirts of the city — Devanahalli and Kumbalgodu.
Responding to comments
The post has 340k views, 13.2k likes, 20.5k shares and 108 comments. The officer rubbished comments suggesting the cops circulate the seized drugs, but acknowledged that there is often a difference in weight between the seized contraband and what is destroyed. “This is not due to pilfering, but loss of moisture in natural substances like cannabis and opium (the latex from the poppy plant), which tend to dry out,” he explained.
Furthermore, the drugs are kept in a location that is under full-time surveillance. The drugs are stored in evidence bags that cannot be tampered with, and an officer calculates and records the weight of each bag daily.
“We destroy even the natural drugs because they do not rot. Cannabis, for instance, dries out and forms a resin, so we destroy that as well,” he concluded.
Destruction of seized goods by Bengaluru City Police
Year: 2023
Date: March 24
Quantity of drugs destroyed: 4.3 tonnes, 8207 tablets & 584 LSD strips
Approx value: 90 cr.
Year: 2023
Date: June 26
Quantity of drugs destroyed: 2.2 tonnes, 427 tablets & 93 LSD strips
Approx value: 21 cr.
Year: 2024
Date: February 9
Quantity of drugs destroyed: 2.1 tonnes, 45 tablets & 258 LSD strips
Approx value: 25 cr.
Year: 2024
Date: June 26
Quantity of drugs destroyed: 1.2 tonnes, 1801 tablets & 355 Eskuf syrup bottles
Approx value: 39 cr.
Year: 2025
Date: January 20
Quantity of drugs destroyed: 0.75 Tonnes, 1189 tablets & 260 Eskuf syrup bottles
Approx value: 38 cr.
Year: 2025
Date: June 26
Quantity of drugs destroyed: 0.56 tonnes
Approx value: 9 cr.
Year: 2025
Date: September 17
Quantity of drugs destroyed: 0.46 tonnes, 257 tablets & 132 LSD strips
Approx value: 21 cr.