Ahmedabad, Aug 14 (IANS) Under the nationwide ‘Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyan’, the Narcotics Control Bureau’s (NCB) Ahmedabad unit has rolled out a series of public awareness programmes across the city and nearby areas from Thursday and will continue till August 16.

The campaign opened on August 14 with awareness sessions at the Ahmedabad Railway Station and the Riverfront View.

On Independence Day, events will be held at the Sports Authority of India and Kendriya Vidyalaya, followed by a joint campaign with spiritual organisation ISKCON.

The initiative will conclude on August 16 with an outreach drive in Vadaj village.

Targeting citizens — especially the youth — the programme aims to highlight the grave health and social risks of drug abuse.

Activities will span schools, public spaces, and rural communities, while also spotlighting NCB’s efforts to curb drug trafficking in Gujarat.

“Our goal is to awaken public commitment against drug abuse and advance the vision of a healthy, drug-free society,” said Ketan Patil Baliram, NCB Additional Director.

In 2025, Gujarat authorities have conducted several high-profile drug busts.

In March, the Ahmedabad Crime Branch intercepted hybrid ganja, MD drugs, and charas — illicitly imported and concealed in shipments from the US, Canada, and Thailand — seizing narcotics valued at nearly Rs 3.45 crore.

Notably, a separate major operation led by the Gujarat Anti-Terrorism Squad, in collaboration with the NCB and Directorate of Revenue Intelligence, uncovered and shut down an illegal alprazolam manufacturing facility in the Anand district.

This raid had resulted in the seizure of 107 kg of alprazolam worth around Rs 107 crore, along with 2,518 kg of precursor chemicals, and 500 kg of tramadol from an Ahmedabad warehouse.

Additionally, the NCB, working alongside the Rajasthan and Maharashtra Police, dismantled a multi-state mephedrone and ketamine network.

The raids, conducted in early August, yielded 34 kg of powdered ketamine, 12 litres of liquid ketamine, precursor chemicals, lab equipment, and multiple arrests.

From 2021 to 2024, state agencies registered 1,786 drug-related cases, arrested 2,706 individuals, and seized 87,605 kg of narcotics worth nearly Rs 9,680 crore.

–IANS

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