Udupi, June 27: Reaffirming the department’s aggressive stance against the expanding networks of substance abuse among the youth, Udupi Superintendent of Police (SP) Hariram Shankar stated that the police wing is fully committed to eradicating the drug menace through stringent tracking, continuous enforcement, and grassroots awareness. The SP was speaking to media personnel on Friday after overseeing the official destruction of seized narcotics at the Ayush Envirotech disposal facility in the Nandikur Industrial Area.

The disposal was executed in strict accordance with statutory court mandates to mark the global observance of the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking. The liquidated contraband, valued at approximately ₹36.29 lakh, had been confiscated during targeted operations in 17 distinct cases registered during 2025-26 under the jurisdictions of six police stations across Udupi district. The stockpile included 73.9 kg of ganja (cannabis), 15 grams of synthetic MDMA, and various other prohibited psychotropic items.

Providing context on the regional drug supply lines, SP Hariram Shankar noted that a significant chunk of the destroyed cache—amounting to 64 kg of ganja—was seized alone under the limits of the Malpe police station. “Our intelligence routes indicate that cannabis is primarily cultivated illegally in the neighboring border belts of Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. Our dedicated teams have not just targeted local street peddling but have launched interstate sweeps to initiate severe legal prosecution against commercial plantation owners and prime middlemen, including kingpins operating out of Odisha,” the SP added.

The high-level destruction committee present at the site included Additional Superintendent of Police Sudhakar, Additional SP Belliyappa K.U., DySP Vijayaprasad, Karkala Circle Inspector Vijayaprasad, Kapu Circle Inspector Ajjath Ali, Padubidri Station Inspector Shaktivelu, Kaup Inspector Tejaswi, DCRB Sub-Inspector Gopal Nayak, SOCO forensic specialists, and management representatives from Ayush Envirotech.

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