Coimbatore: After tightening measures to arrest the flow of drugs into the city, police are now approaching the parents and spouses of drug users in their bid to keep in check the number of substance abusers.Earlier, city police commissioner N Kannan had formed a special anti-narcotic intelligence unit to exclusively monitor and arrest drug suppliers and peddlers. The city police have arrested 154 drug peddlers in 107 cases so far this year and seized 226.8kg of ganja, 268 grams of methamphetamine, 780 grams of MDMA, 823 painkiller tablets, 43 LSD stamps and 30 syringes. “Though we have been taking stringent action against drug peddlers and dealers, the number of drug users has been on the rise in the city. Hence, we are now identifying drug users and informing their family members about their addiction and creating awareness among them about the legal consequences,” said the city police commissioner. According to him, police have zero tolerance towards drug peddling in the city. “We are tracing bulk suppliers and informing the states from where drugs are being smuggled into Coimbatore. Many drug dealers have been detained under the Goondas Act, and our personnel are closely monitoring the drug peddlers roaming free outside.” Pointing out that police usually collect information about drug users whenever they arrest a peddler, he said, “However, in most cases we cannot arrest the users, as they won’t be in possession of contraband when we search them. So, we are informing their families, believing that they will do the needful to help the users get rid of the addiction. This will help us keep the drug usage in check in the city.”
