True to Rhea Chakraborty's exclamation 'Dude, Bhubaneswar is the scene', Odisha has seemingly arrived on to the drug trafficking scene in the country. The drug traffickers in the State have gone high on cannabis, heroin and brown sugar.
When the cases of drugs/narcotic substances for personal consumption in the State grew by a mere 19 percent between 2017-2020, in the last 4-years, the State had recorded a 'high' of around 130 percent growth in cases of possession of drugs for trafficking.
The High Scene
As per the NCRB 2020 report, a whopping 1031 incidents of possession of drugs for trafficking had been registered by the State Police under the NDPS (Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances) Act 1985. Similarly, the cases of possessing drugs for consumption registered by Odisha police last year stood at 148.
Now mark the contrasting scene 4-years ago. As per the Odisha police statistics, the offences filed under the NDPS Act for trafficking of drugs had been mere 449 in 2017. And cases of possessing drugs for consumption had been 124.
The numbers then and now tells the tale of how drug trafficking in Odisha had grown by leaps and bounds in a span of only 4-years.
Top Growth - Outcome of Police Or Drug Mafia Action?
As per the Parliamentary Standing Committee report, the rise in drug trafficking cases in states, including Odisha, had undoubtedly a result of the enforcement drives by police and NCB.
However, in the same vein, the Standing Committee report clearly stated that the quantum growth in cases under NDPS Act 1985 puts the glare on the sharp rise in drug trafficking in states, where a sharp growth in cases and seizures have been made till 2019-20.
Parliamentary Committee Report - A Reality Check
The seizures made by the Odisha police on the ground vindicates the observation made by the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs.
- In 2017, the seizure of Heroin by Odisha police was mere 542 grams.
- The seizure in 2020 stood at around 2kg.
- Brown sugar seizure in 2017 was 0.59 kg
- In August 2021, scene changed. The total seizure made in 2020 and up to Aug 2021 was 54 kg.
- In 2017, the quantity of cannabis seized stood at mere 308 quintals.
- The quantity by 2020 end stood at over 1000 quintals.
- Seizure of opium has shown a downward trend. In 2017, the seizure of opium stood at 1.2 kg. The seizure quantity in 2020 stood at nil.
As per the Odisha police data, synthetic drug ( MDMA, Ketamine etc) usage in Odisha is almost non-existent.
Powder, Weed High, Why No Pills?
As per a senior IPS officer, the negligible prevalence of synthetic drugs in the State can be attributed to the low footprint of pharma industries in the State.
"Our studies have shown that the supplier of synthetic drugs have been the states where the presence of pharma industries are very high. We have identified such states as Telangana, MP, Maharashtra, Gujarat etc. It is seen that drug mafia penetrates into the pharma companies to produce such synthetic drugs," he explained.
Police records from 2017-20 show nil seizure of synthetic drugs in Odisha.
Odisha - Cannabis Capital
As per the report Smuggling In India 2019-20, Odisha has emerged as the source state of cannabis in India. The consumer states of Odisha cannabis are UP, Maharashtra, Telangana and Tamil Nadu.
The cannabis corridor runs from Odisha through the states like Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh to merge in north Indian states.
Odisha not only is exporting cannabis, the national capital of Delhi sourced Marijuana from the State.
Heroin Importer - Odisha
The data with the Odisha police shows charas and Heroin get smuggled into Odisha from Bangladesh via Kharagpur to Balasore. The district has emerged as the drug transient hub in the State.