Excise Minister H Nagesh said that the Excise and Police Department will conduct joint raids to contain drug-peddling menace that has come to the fore in Bengaluru.
"We want to protect innocents from falling prey to drugs, hence night raids too would be conducted," he said.
Speaking to reporters at the Circuit House here on Saturday, Nagesh said the raids in Bengaluru have brought the tip of the iceberg to the fore. "We fear the involvement of more people in the drug racket. Drugs seized were of higher-end, hence the involvement of people from financial grounds cannot be ruled out," he said.
Schools and colleges were opening for the academic year in the month of September. "We shall check drug peddling near them too," he stated.
Nagesh said revenue of the Excise Department has fallen by 50 percent due to Covid-19 crisis. Bars, pubs and restaurants will open next month and we hope to improve revenue collection.