KURNOOL: The sale and consumption of drugs are rampant in the districts of Rayalaseema. Cricket betting, drug peddling, and export of contraband substances – the entrepreneurs of Rayalaseema seem to be at the forefront of all trades capable of making them easy money. The narcotics business is flourishing in the industrial towns of Betamcherla, Nandyal, Tadipatri, Sricity, Tirupati, Kadapa, Adoni, and Kurnool. The large populations of college students in these areas make for an ideal market. The students of a prominent minority college in Kurnool city have made a nearby heritage structure adjacent their adda where they get high and lie in a drug-induced stupor. Supervisors of Arche-ological Department have brought this to the notice of the police several times but to no avail.
Kurnool has several engineering colleges and university campuses. The bank of the river Handri is lush with trees that provide a perfect hideout for druggies. It is not uncommon to see groups of youngsters sitting on the banks of the river, seemingly whiling away their time and playing cards. Members of the drug mafia have chosen Nandyal as one of their main markets, owing to the presence of a large number of educational institutions and coaching centres that provide them with a steady supply of students who become customers. Drug peddlers target students from middle-class and affluent families and get them to pay them an advance of Rs 5,000 to Rs 10,000. The police say that peddlers supply the students with brown sugar.
A police officer said that last year, the cops detained a vehicle at the Nandyal check post and seized a consignment of brown sugar that was headed towards Nandyal. He said that the drug was intended to be sold in Bethamcherla, Uyyalawada and Koilkuntla in Kurnool district, and Guntakal in Anantapur district. The drug mafia seems to function smoothly even in the temple towns of Srisailam, Mantralayam, Tirupati. Puttaparthi in Anantapur district has been on the radar of the Directorate of Revenue for long because it is frequented by foreigners. Last year, a team from the Hyderabad Zonal Unit of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence conducted a search operation and busted an illicit drug manufacturing facility.
Pharma firms see easy money:
Fly-by-night pharma companies that owe money to financial corporations are resorting to the manufacture of high-value low-volume synthetic narcotic drugs . They have access to the necessary manpower, machinery and raw materials, and they are tempted by the possibility of making quick money to pay off debts. The owners of several pharma units around Jeedimetla, Ghatkesar and Miyapur have fallen prey to irresistible offers and allowed their premises to be used for the production of narcotics, says a unit owner who does not wish to be named. Seeing their competitors making easy money, other pharma units have joined the bandwagon.
These units manufacture a drug called ephedrine, which is a controlled medication that acts as a stimulant. It is used in the production of amphetamines and methamphetamine. According to the officials of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), ephedrine is not a banned substance, but its use is governed by the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act. “Those who manufacture, store or use it should be registered with the NCB and submit a report of every transaction,” said an NCB officer.
Ephedrine is popularly used overseas to treat asthma and bronchitis. While controlled doses help ease breathing, the abuse of this drug, usually in the powder form, is known to cause euphoria, hallucinations, delusions, hypertension and nausea.
