The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Salem, a haven for drug mafia

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Apr 23, 2005

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Salem, a haven for drug mafia

R. Ilangovan

Trafficking is on the rise, but the police hope to nab major operator in Tamil Nadu Two seizures of cannabis valued at Rs. 15 lakhs has exposed the city's "persistent link'' with the drug mafia

SALEM: The massive seizure earlier this month of dry ganja (cannabis) leaves here has brought Salem and its neighbourhood under the scanner of law enforcement agencies once again, as the city remains a major transit point for drugs.

Barring a few `insignificant' seizures, the city remained incident-free in the recent past. But two seizures of cannabis valued at Rs. 15 lakhs by the police exposed the city's "persistent link'' with the drug mafia, which has been active since 1990s, say senior police officials. As the city is located closer to the borders of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, the peddlers enjoy an easy access to towns down south in Tamil Nadu and Kerala via Salem and Madurai.

Salem's emergence as a major transit point for drug peddling came to light when Directorate of Revenue Intelligence sleuths seized 437 kg of opium worth Rs 66 crores from a lorry from Madhya Pradesh carrying boxes of slate pencils in 1993. The consignment was to reach Sri Lanka via Tuticorin.

The Narcotic Control Bureau (NCB) and the Narcotics Intelligence Bureau (NIB), apart from the local police, have seized heroin, cannabis and other drugs of psychopathic nature. "The peddlers change their routes frequently. The high density traffic on three national highways has been providing them a pucca cover," says a police official here. Everyday, 5,000-6,000 heavy vehicles use the highways via Salem.

The drug coming from Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh cross Salem to reach the obscure coastal hamlets in the districts Ramanathapuram and Tuticorin.

"Despite increasing surveillance, the "long and lonely'' coastal line in Tamil Nadu offers smugglers a safe haven," says a Customs official, who worked in the preventive wing of the Tuticorin Customs in 1990s when maximum seizures were effected.

The Salem City Police Commissioner, Abashkumar, who has formed a special squad to deal with drug peddlers, says drug trafficking has become intense after a brief lull.

"We have so far seized 302.45 kg of ganja this year against last year's haul of 6.6 kg," he says. He is hopeful of apprehending the Salem-based `kingpin' who is believed to be the major operator in Tamil Nadu.

In most cases of drug peddling, couriers and peddlers would be arrested while the kingpins remain elusive to ensure a steady supply.

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