Bengaluru: The Karnataka government on Saturday initiated the process of destroying seized drugs including ganja, poppy, LSD, MDMA, and cocaine valued around Rs 50 crore to observe the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking.

Karnataka had launched a special drive against drugs last year, since then the police have seized drugs valued at around Rs 50 crore and 60 percent of this had been destroyed based on the approval of courts.

After taking part in this event, Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai said the remaining 40 percent will also be destroyed as and when the FSL (Forensic Science Laboratory) report comes and the court granting permission to this.

He said that bringing suitable amendments to the existing rules under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act will only further strengthen enforcement agencies’ hands to curb this menace.

“The NDPS being the central Act, we are discussing it with legal experts,” he said.

The Home Minister contended that the state police is the first among its peers in the country to crack dark web-related drug cases, as of late peddlers adept in using sophisticated technology.

Similarly, drugs worth approximately Rs 10 lac were destroyed in Mangaluru.

Under Mangaluru police commissionerate and district police disposed of drugs which included ganja, cocaine, MDMA, LSD, and charas here at the biomedical waste treatment unit at Kolnaad Mulky. 

In Dakshina Kannada district, under the guidance of superintendent of police (SP) Rishikesh Sonawane 221.9 kg of ganja worth Rs 25,11,080 was disposed which was seized in five cases under the district limit police stations.