Gujarat govt to set up six Anti-Narcotics Task Force units to crackdown on drug networks

Ahmedabad, Aug 25 (PTI) The Gujarat government on Monday said it will establish Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) with six units across the state to handle cases related to the sale, trafficking and production of drugs.

The new ANTF units will be operational in Gandhinagar, Ahmedabad, Surat, Vadodara, Rajkot and the border zone, an official release stated.

The zonal structure will help in breaking the drug network in every corner of the state, it said.

Minister of State for Home Harsh Sanghvi said these units will take "cutting-edge" action against drug mafias, suppliers and peddlers associated with the narcotics network across the state.

According to the release, the state government has approved a staff of 177 persons, including a superintendent of police, six deputy superintendents and 13 police inspectors.

These units will be under the supervision of state CID-Crime, and the personnel attached with ANTF will concentrate only on cases under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, it stated.

This new force of 177 personnel will be in addition to 34 policemen and officers currently attached to the state CID's Narcotics Cell of the Gujarat police, it said.

State Director General of Police Vikas Sahay explained that these units will help the police maintain uniformity in the investigation of drug crimes.

The cases registered by the ANTF units will be investigated in a systematic manner to ensure strict punishment for the accused, the release said.

These new units will also have a data analysis and intelligence unit to frequently collect and compile information on criminal elements, syndicate structures and inter-state narco offenders, and analyse it for decisive action, the release said.

The ANTF will ensure that strict action is taken against drug offenders under the Prevention of Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (PIT-NDPS Act), which provides for the detention of offenders. PTI PJT ARU