Chennai, March 6 (IANS) The Greater Chennai Police have intensified their crackdown on drug syndicates and arrested four individuals.
In two separate cases, three men from Assam were caught with narcotics, including heroin, while another individual involved in methamphetamine peddling was apprehended.
In the first case, Egmore police arrested three suspects from Assam — Habibur Rahman (32), Dildar Hussain (22), and Reikibul Islam (20), all from Nagaon district.
Acting on a tip-off, officers intercepted the trio near Egmore railway station and searched their bags, recovering three grams of heroin, eight grams of morphine, and two kilograms of gutka.
The three were produced before a magistrate and remanded in judicial custody.
In the second case, the Chetpet police arrested a 25-year-old man, R. Manikandan of Korattur, who had been absconding in a methamphetamine peddling case.
The police seized three grams of methamphetamine from him. This case was part of an earlier operation in which four peddlers were arrested on February 7, followed by the arrest of the main accused, S. Balahari (26), on February 14.
The Tamil Nadu Police have stepped up their crackdown on methamphetamine trafficking, launching statewide operations to curb the spread of the highly addictive drug.
Authorities have made a series of arrests in both urban and rural areas, with several individuals caught attempting to sell methamphetamine, including to school students.
In response, Director General of Police (DGP) Sankar Jiwal has ordered all district police superintendents to form and personally oversee special squads to dismantle drug networks.
As part of their enforcement strategy, police are closely monitoring gyms and health clubs, where methamphetamine use has reportedly become a growing concern.
Recent investigations have revealed that some gym users were acquiring the drug to manage muscle pain caused by intense workouts.
Tamil Nadu has emerged as a key transit hub for international drug syndicates smuggling methamphetamine and its precursor, pseudoephedrine, to countries such as Sri Lanka, Malaysia, and Australia, where demand is high.
In 2024 alone, the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) and the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) seized methamphetamine worth approximately ₹380 crore.
Investigators believe these drugs were sourced from Myanmar and were en route to Sri Lanka.
In November 2024, Chennai Police made a significant breakthrough by arresting a Nigerian national, Philip, suspected to be the mastermind behind a major drug smuggling cartel.
Philip allegedly coordinated the import of methamphetamine from Nigeria via courier and air routes.
So far, the Arumbakkam police have arrested 12 individuals in connection with this case.
Methamphetamine smuggling is highly lucrative, with prices varying significantly across different locations.
In Manipur, the drug is priced between ₹50,000 and ₹1,00,000 per kilogram, but in Chennai, the price soars to ₹7 lakh per kilogram.
In international markets, particularly in Sri Lanka and Australia, methamphetamine can fetch several crores per kilogram.
According to police officers, the drug is first transported from Myanmar to Manipur and human carriers smuggle the drugs via train into Tamil Nadu.
Once in Tamil Nadu, the drugs are concealed in vehicles and transported to coastal towns such as Rameswaram, Thoothukudi, and Nagapattinam.
Local fishing boats then carry out mid-sea transfers, smuggling the drugs into Sri Lanka across the porous maritime border.
With ongoing operations and heightened surveillance, law enforcement agencies continue their efforts to dismantle these drug syndicates and curb the growing methamphetamine crisis in Tamil Nadu.
–IANS
aal/rad