With an aim to further reduce crimes related to drugs, the Uttar Pradesh government has set up an “Anti-Narcotics Task Force” (ANTF) to check the illegal trade of narcotics substances in the state.
The task force will operate under the supervision of the additional director general of police (crime).
Narcotics police stations will be established at the zone and regional levels under the ANTF.
Officers from central agencies specialised in combating drug menace like the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), Central Bureau of Narcotics, and Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) will be appointed at various posts in the state ANTF on deputation.
The Anti-Narcotics Task Force will have powers to conduct searches and seizure operations at premises of drug lords and peddlers, register cases against the accused, carry out an investigation, and arrest accused persons, the UP Police said in a statement.
The anti-narcotics agency can register cases against accused persons at any police station under their jurisdiction.
The operations of the task force have been divided into three regions — East, West, and Central.
Meerut, Bareilly, and Agra districts have been included in the West region; Lucknow and Kanpur in the Central region; and Prayagraj, Gorakhpur, and Varanasi are in the East region.
Additional DGP (ANTF) will be in charge of the task force at police headquarters and will be assisted by the superintendent of police (operations) and superintendent of police (headquarters).
A deputy SP will be in charge of each region, the police said.
Effective reduction in the supply of narcotics, reduction in demand for drugs in coordination with different government agencies, public awareness campaigns against drugs, and establishing coordination with other states are among the mandates of the ANTF.
The task force will also oversee the implementation of treatment and rehabilitation of drug addicts, and preventive education and awareness generation programmes of the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.
It will also coordinate with de-addiction centres established by the Union health ministry.
The ANTF has also been tasked with keeping a vigil on the illegal farming of poppy seed and cracking down on the illegal narcotics trade through the dark web, social media, and cryptocurrency.
The agency will work as a secretariat to implement a four-level mechanism through the Narco Coordination Center.