New anti-narcotics team in Telangana excise department to deal with drugs cases
Hyderabad: As part of its efforts to control the use of drugs, the Telangana Prohibition and Excise department has decided to set up a dedicated anti-narcotics team to lay special focus in eradicating the menace in the State.
The 20-member team would be headed by a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) rank officer. This would be in addition to two State Task Force (STF) teams constituted earlier with the officers drawn from the excise department and two more teams with the staff from the police department.
Excise Director, Enforcement, VB Kamalasan Reddy gave instructions to this effect to officials concerned asking them to expedite the process of setting up the anti-narcotics team at the earliest. The new team would specially lay emphasis on preventing the sale and consumption of drugs in the limits of Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC).
As the four teams that were already working on preventing the flow of non-duty paid liquor, illegal possession of Indian made foreign liquor, ganja and other drugs, the dedicated anti-narcotics team would aid the department in dealing with drug peddlers with an iron hand.
Though the STFs were working effectively in the crackdown launched against the drug menace, the department has decided to intensify its efforts to eradicate it and make the city free from drugs. Senior officials said those who were actively taking part in the anti-drug drive, would be selected to redraw the strategy against narcotic substances by further increasing surveillance on repeat offenders.
The excise department records show that the number of drug cases was increased by 29.17 per cent with 1,045 cases in 2024 as against 809 cases in 2023. The number of persons arrested in these cases also went up significantly by 62.26 per cent with 1,840 people in 2024 as against 1,134 in 2023.
