Drug smuggling on rise in Chennai

It's the International Day Against Drug Trafficking, but Chennai is witnessing new disturbing trends of narcotics smuggling. From being a major transit point for heroin smuggling into Sri Lanka, the city emerged as the ketamine capital of the country. Now, it's cocaine smuggling at beach houses and even one of Chennai's best known shopping malls that's worrying enforcement agencies. At five thousand rupees for a 1 gram packet, cocaine is ten times more expensive than heroin in the local market. But there's a growing demand for this party drug in Chennai. The city has 10 cocaine cells operated by African students. They supply the contraband to college students and party hoppers through local agents at some of the best known shopping malls, star hotels as well as for rave parties at beach houses along the East Coast Road. "Our investigations reveal that the drug is being sold near Spencer's Plaza as well as our beaches where there's anonymity and a crowd," said S Davidson, Director, (South) Narcotics Control Bureau. NDTV tracked down a cocaine addict who reveals how the drug is carefully peddled in party circles. "Through the party circuit, you can get in touch with them on a group mail. You register your mobile number there and they will call you from an anonymous number. They will tell you where to come. Sometimes it is an STD booth. Pay the money there and they will call you again and tell you where to come. You need to say what you're wearing etc. Someone will meet you and give you the drug," said the addict. Over the last year, 3 kingpins from Kenya, Tanzania and Nigeria brought in small consignments into Chennai from South America through Africa, the Middle East and Mumbai. In one case, they concealed the drug between pages in a diary. All the African nationals arrested had destroyed their passports to hide their identity and used fake travel documents.