VISAKHAPATNAM: Drug peddlers are adopting unique strategies to avoid being detected while transporting and selling narcotic substances. An interesting example is selling drugs in the form of homoeopathic pills.
A senior police officer, who chose anonymity while speaking to Deccan Chronicle, said youth, especially software engineers and students; have taken to selling banned drugs.
“During our investigation, we found that a young drug abuser had bought a gram of “crystal meth” in Bengaluru for ₹ 2,000 from a drug peddler. He was selling the same for ₹ 4,500–5,000 per gram,” the official pointed out.
Some of these youth are turning the drugs they carry into “homoeopathic pills”, which do not attract suspicion. In case there is a search, the carrier can swallow the homoeopathic pills and escape detection.
Home delivery of drug-spiked homoeopathic pills is popular among high-dose consumers. These pills have replaced syringes, which can spread communicable diseases like HIV.
Students of corporate colleges, which attract students from different parts of the country, are among those found to be consuming drugs. There are some school students too. Schoolchildren in Krishna district had recently been found consuming cannabis.
Dr. N.N. Raju, National president of Indian Psychiatric Society, told DC that nearly 10,000 people in the port city have approached health centres for de-addiction from habits such as illicit drugs, alcohol, ganja, gutka and smoking.
“While middle-aged people are seeking de-addiction from alcohol, smoking and gutka, young people, including college students, are consuming drugs and marijuana. There are about 200–300 women among them,” Dr Raju disclosed.
