Delhi records 122% rise in Marijuana seizure

The national Capital continues to witness rampant marijuana trade with 122 per cent increase in the recovery of the drug this year compared with the average of the past three years.

Around 3,350 kg of marijuana has been recovered till August 31, making it the highest recovery for any year in the books of Delhi Police. In 2014, around 1,780 kg of marijuana was recovered in the entire year.

The police, however, claimed the steep increase in seizure reflects sincere efforts on their part and 

not that the city has a flourishing cannabis market. “We have a dedicated team for tracking narcotics traffickers. The high recovery rate reflects ceaseless and sincere efforts by the team," said Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) Ravindra Yadav.

According to Delhi Police records, 2013 stands second in marijuana recovery, with more than 3,100 Kg seized, a 64 per cent increase over the previous year when around 1,900 Kg of the psychotropic drug had been impounded. Unlike heroin, for which Delhi is used as a transit point for further dispatch towards southern India or countries in the west, the city is a thriving market in itself for rackets dealing in marijuana, said a police official.

“Bareilly in western UP and neighbouring districts like Badaun, Shahjahanpur and Moradabad have emerged as major sources for marijuana in Delhi," said the official, adding that Bareilly came under the police scanner after two major recoveries in 2012 in which inter-state syndicates dealing on massive scale were cracked.

Apart from UP, Delhi Police <g data-gr-id="21">have</g> often had hard times chasing Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh-based marijuana syndicates smuggling the drug into the city.