Shimla: The Himachal Pradesh government has intensified its crackdown on the drug trade, shifting its focus beyond arrests to the identification and seizure of illegally acquired wealth linked to narcotics trafficking. Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said the government was determined to dismantle the entire drug network and recover assets generated through the illegal trade.
Commending the Nurpur Police for its decisive action against drug traffickers, the Chief Minister said properties worth approximately Rs 3.27 crore had been seized in the latest action. The seized assets include a luxurious house, land, hotel, shops, vehicles and bank accounts.
Sukhu said those who had accumulated crores of rupees by selling drugs would now have to account for their ill-gotten wealth.
“Those who built luxurious houses, purchased hotels and shops and acquired expensive vehicles by selling drugs must understand that this money belongs to the hard-working people, the poor and those families whose children have been trapped in the web of addiction,” he said.
The Chief Minister said the government’s strategy was aimed at striking at the financial backbone of the drug mafia. He stressed that merely arresting drug traffickers was not enough and that the entire network, including its financial infrastructure and illegally acquired assets, had to be dismantled.
“Our objective is to completely dismantle the entire drug network, including its financial infrastructure and the illegally acquired assets generated through the drug trade,” Sukhu said.
He added that police and law-enforcement agencies had been given full freedom to take stringent action against those involved in drug trafficking, while the state government was extending all possible support to such operations.
The crackdown has resulted in significant seizures in Police District Nurpur. According to the Chief Minister, properties worth more than Rs 29.95 crore have so far been seized in 17 cases in the district.
Sukhu said the action sent a clear message to drug traffickers and peddlers that there was no place for the drug mafia in Himachal Pradesh.
“Himachal Pradesh is a Devbhoomi, and no attempt to engulf the state into drug abuse and trafficking would be allowed to succeed,” he said, asserting that stringent action would continue against individuals involved in the drug trade as well as their wider networks.
The Chief Minister also said that strict implementation of the PIT-NDPS Act was being ensured against habitual offenders to put them behind bars.
He said drug mafias had been mapped up to the panchayat level, enabling authorities to continuously monitor and act against people involved in the drug trade and their networks.
Sukhu also appealed to the public to share information related to drug trafficking with the police. He said cooperation from citizens was essential to effectively tackle the menace and protect the youth of the state.
The Chief Minister reiterated that the government would continue its fight against drugs with determination, making it clear that its campaign would target not only the people involved in trafficking but also the wealth and assets accumulated through the illegal trade.
