Chennai : The police have launched a crackdown on the illegal sale of “prescription drugs” by pharmacies across the State.
Acting on the instructions of Director-General of Police C. Sylendra Babu, special teams of the Narcotics Intelligence Bureau CID along with officials of the Food Safety and Drug Administration Department, conducted surprise checks in pharmacies in several districts. The focus was to curtail the sale of these drugs without proper prescription, particularly to students and youth.
According to Mahesh Kumar Aggarwal, ADGP, Crime, action had been taken against some pharmacies in Chengalpattu, Tiruvannamalai, Thanjavur, Salem, Vellore and Tirupattur districts. The police and the Food Safety and Drug Administration Department had cautioned pharmacy owners not to sell “prescription drugs” over the counter. The surprise checks would continue, he said. Mr. Aggarwal appealed to the people to pass on any information on the illegal sale of restricted drugs by calling helpline 10581 or send a message via WhatsApp to 949810581. Public could send such input by email to spnibcid@gmail.com.
In a separate operation, the police conducted a special drive in all districts against the sale of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances. During the operation, over 2,000 kg of ganja and 21 kg of heroin worth about ₹23 crore were seized and 838 accused persons arrested. Some of these suspects had sold the contraband to drug-dependent people. The move follows instructions of Chief Minister M.K. Stalin who informed the Assembly about this and directed officials at a recent meeting that stringent action should be taken to curb the sale of drugs like ganja near educational institutions, the sources said.
Task force
Early this week, the national meeting of the Apex Level Committee of Narco Coordination Center (NCORD) described drug abuse as a major threat to the national security which could be dealt with overall coordination among Central and State drug-law enforcement agencies. It was urged in the meeting, in which senior police officers from across the country took part, to form a dedicated Anti-Narcotics Task Force, the sources added.
