The Karnataka police destroyed drugs worth Rs 50 crore on Saturday, June 26, International Day Against Drug Abuse.This includes nearly 24,000 kg of marijuana, a statement issued by Praveen Sood, Karnataka Deputy General of Police (DGP) said.
The DGP said that the drugs or psychotropic substances were destroyed at district headquarters in the state, including in Bengaluru. "On the occasion of International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking on 26 June, various district SPs and CPs including the CP, Bengaluru will destroy the psychotropic substances seized in the last few years. This will be destroyed as per prescribed procedure at all district headquarters in the presence of committees as per court orders," read the statement.
The drugs which were destroyed are as follows.
Marijuana - 23,829.266 kg
Poppy 34.4 kg
Brown Sugar - 1 kg
Opium - 161.34 kg
Heroin - 0.278 gms
Hashish - 6.15 kg
Charas 5.26 kg
Cocaine - 0.7 gms
MDMA Powder - 0.68 gms
MDMA tablets - 919 tablets
Amphetamine - 0.209 gms
LSD strips - 1298 strips.
The total estimated value of the drugs is Rs 50,23,01,619, a record for the Karnataka police, as per the official statement.
In 2020, a record 4,066 cases were booked under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act which led to the arrest of 5,291 persons. The drugs being destroyed now are part of those seizures where courts have permitted destruction.
On Saturday morning, the drugs were destroyed in various district headquarters in the state. In Udupi, drugs seized from 50 cases under the NDPS Act worth Rs 1 crore were destroyed by incineration in a closed container. This included 103 kg marijuana, 919 MDMA tablets and 990 LSD strips. These were seized from cases going back to 2008. In Mangaluru, 300 kg of seized narcotics were destroyed.
Other places where a high amount of narcotics were seized included Belagavi and Kalaburagi in the northern part of the state.