Drug cases under NDPS decline in 2023 due to policy changes

Bengaluru: Police registered fewer cases under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act in 2023 than two years ago, mainly due to a change in the policy.

CCRB data shows that in 2023, NDPS cases were 3,443, down from 4,027 seen in 2022 and 4,555 a year earlier. The NDPS Act is invoked when large quantities of illegal drugs are seized.

DCP (Crime-2) Srinivas Gowda said, in June the police started registering cases against drug smugglers and treated consumers as victims of drugs. According to him, in 2023, three times more drug smugglers were arrested as compared to previous years. He said more synthetic drugs were seized in 2023.

Police launched a special operation on drugs in early 2023, focusing more on smugglers and the source of contraband. In 2023, police seized drugs worth Rs 103.22 crore, up from Rs 92.71 crore a year earlier. Drugs worth Rs 60 crore were seized in 2021.