The Coke stops here!

Finally Judiciary has opened its eyes and the Supreme Court has frowned upon the "liquor addiction" among "younger generation". Not only this, the Court has also asked the government to work towards reducing the consumption of liquor. It's a welcome step but it seems that the Court should also turn its eyes towards the growing number of drugs in the capital and in the country as a whole.

Delhi is fast becoming the Drug capital of India and it is making its presence felt in the international drug market too as an important transit point. The Indian capital ignonimously sees a heavy import of Cocaine and ecstasy pills in the country whereas it is becoming a huge exporter of heroin, which comes to the capital from Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh and hashish, which comes to the market from Malana, in Himachal, Nepal, Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur.

The hash from Nepal and Arunachal is fast catching up in the Indian as well as international market and is competing with the famed Malana cream. Also drugs from Afghanistan have managed to sneak into India through some Kashmiri youth also dealing in illegal arms supplies was busted by Delhi Police's Narcotics department last year in November. It was claimed to be the biggest catch of the decade, sadly the dealers are out on bail and not even a single drug dealer caught by the cops last year is languishing in jail. This is where the judiciary now has to turn its eyes.
Coke trails
In recent times, Cocaine and other synthetic drugs have already gripped the youth and P3 frat in the city. Cocaine generally comes to India from Africa. India is an important transit point for this white gold. The normal international trade route of cocaine is from Columbia to African countries from where it travels to either Delhi or Mumbai and from here it travels to European countries. A large part of the consignment is dropped in India for consumption. It costs Rs 3,500-8,000 per gram in the Indian market.
Heroine
It is nothing but raw opium treated with acetic anhydride. Acetic Anhydride is although banned in the country but is used in the dye industry. According to AS Cheema, DCP (Narcotics), "It is sold in the market for Rs 3 lakh per kilogram, but to get a hit very low quantity is required. For a drug addict, heroine worth Rs 40 or 50 is enough to get a high."

That's the reason it is widespread in Delhi. According to Cheema, "Heroine is an injectible drug. The heroine addicts exchange needles and it can have serious repercussions like communicable diseases.

The importance of heroine in terms of cocaine dealers is that it used for reverse trade. "Carriers of cocaine take back heroine to Nigeria and other African countries as well as European nations," says Cheema. Heroine is exported from the country through export consignments. They are generally packed inside shoes and last year a consignment was caught where drugs were hidden inside shock absorbers. Generally Department of Revenue Intelligence and Customs catch these rackets.
Hashish
It is Hash or hashish and grass (dried cannabis leaves), which is a cause of worry for narcotics officials. Intake of this is extremely widespread among the youth and student community. "A large quantity of hash is being consumed in Delhi. Recently we caught a 50-year-old woman with 9 kg of hash imported from Nepal. Sad part is that large part of students are getting caught in this cobweb," says Cheema.

Hash and grass is freely available in Delhi and can easily be obtained from jhuggi clusters mostly surrounding campuses and most of south Delhi areas. Denotified tribes and small drug peddlers mostly sell these drugs. "It's very difficult to curtail them. It's a family-based drug business. If even two or three of the family are in jail, the business never stops. Be it wife or daughter or son, everybody is involved in this selling business," adds Cheema.

On the parallel, Delhi is also one of the biggest exporters of hash. The famed Malana hash is exported from here. Local people from Kullu valley, Israelis and Nigerians are involved in the exporting business. A kilogram of hash from Malana costs Rs 3 lakh in Delhi. When it reaches the international market, it costs a cool Rs 10-12 lakh.