Dibrugarh (Assam) [India], June 26 : Police forces across India marked the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking on Friday by destroying seized narcotics worth crores of rupees, as Union Home Minister Amit Shah called for a "detect, deduct and destroy" strategy against drug trafficking networks.
In Assam's Dibrugarh, police destroyed seized narcotics worth approximately Rs 1.4 crore, including 271 grams of brown sugar and 77 kg of ganja.
Inspector General of Police (Law and Order) Akhilesh Singh said the drugs disposed of had been seized over the last 9 months. "On International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, Dibrugarh Police conducted disposal of drugs seized in the last 9 months. The drugs disposed of today include 271 gm Brown Sugar and 77kg Ganja worth Rs 1.4 crores. In 67 drug-related cases registered in Dibrugarh, 112 people have been arrested in the last nine months," he said.
In Himachal Pradesh, the Kangra Police destroyed narcotics worth Rs 4.25 crore scientifically at the Suraksha bio-sanitiser plant in Dhugiyari village of Kangra district.
Speaking to ANI, Superintendent of Police Kangra Kulbhushan Verma said the destroyed substances included 15 kg of hash, 900 grams of heroin, poppy husk and opium plants, all seized in 73 different cases in Kangra district since 2014.
"We are here to observe International Day Against Drug Abuse, and on this day we have destroyed drugs and narcotics which have been seized in various cases since 2014 and have also been decided by the court of law, so today we destroyed the drugs worth rupees 4.24 crore scientifically here in a 'Suraksha bio-sanitiser' plant in Dhugiyari village of Kangra district," he said.
Earlier in the day, Shah addressed the 10th Apex-Level Meeting of the Narco-Coordination Centre in New Delhi, stressing that the next 3 years would be decisive in India's fight against narcotics. He urged states to strengthen coordination, real-time intelligence sharing and enforcement against drug syndicates.
"Today, our country stands at such a delicate juncture in the battle against narcotics that the coming 3 years will determine whether addiction conquers us or we conquer addiction. For the future of our nation over the next 100 years, we must collectively fight this with unwavering resolve. For this, all governments must come together on a single platform. We must also include saints who guide the public, youth who shape the future, and the power of motherhood," Shah said.
The International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking is a United Nations observance marked every year on June 26. The day aims to spread awareness about the harmful effects of drug use and to strengthen the fight against drug abuse and the illegal drug trade.
It has been observed since 1989. June 26 was chosen to commemorate Chinese political philosopher and politician Lin Zexu's dismantling of the opium trade in Humen, Guangdong, which ended on June 25, 1839, just before the First Opium War in China.