Tamil Nadu launches dedicated Anti Narcotics Task Force to curb drug menace
The Tamil Nadu Police have launched a multi-pronged strategy to eradicate substance abuse in the State. The formation of a dedicated Anti Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) marks a concerted effort to dismantle drug syndicates, arrest smugglers, and curb the illegal trade, particularly in ganja.
Three months after the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) assumed power, the State government has taken its first major step towards fulfilling Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay's election promise to end the drug culture in Tamil Nadu.
Since May 10 this year, police have registered 5,082 drug-related cases and arrested 7,214 suspects on charges of trafficking, possession, and distribution of drugs. Seizures have included more than 7,000 kg of ganja, 112 kg of other drugs, and 3.4 lakh tablets of prescription drugs obtained without authorisation.
The ANTF has been constituted in response to reports of youth, including college students, becoming addicted to ganja and synthetic stimulants such as methamphetamine, which are reportedly available at rave parties. The link between drug addiction and crime is well documented, and the new force is designed to address both enforcement and prevention.
Previous efforts to dismantle inter-State drug syndicates have met with limited success. While the State police have managed to curtail ganja cultivation in the tri-junction forest area of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Karnataka, the drug continues to flow from Andhra Pradesh and Odisha. Smugglers have adapted to intensive search operations on train and road routes along inter-State borders by shifting to small-time peddlers who transport less than 4 to 5 kg per consignment, mostly by train.
The Narcotics Intelligence Bureau-Criminal Investigation Department (NIB-CID) and local police have been working in coordination with Central agencies, including the Narcotics Control Bureau. However, the inflow of ganja from neighbouring States persists. Additionally, ganja and synthetic drugs are allegedly smuggled to Sri Lanka with the help of illegal boat operators for further transhipment to South-East Asian countries.
The ANTF, sanctioned through a Government Order issued on August 8 this year, replaces the existing enforcement framework with a dedicated, technology-driven, and intelligence-led system. The initiative combines specialised policing with financial investigations, cyber-surveillance, treatment and rehabilitation of drug addicts, youth engagement, and community participation.
As part of the expansion, 65 specialised ANTF police stations have been sanctioned, covering 37 police districts and eight city police commissionerates. Each station will have one Inspector of Police, four Sub-Inspectors, and 20 police personnel, providing 1,625 dedicated personnel for field-level narcotics enforcement across the State.
A key feature of the new arrangement is that ANTF personnel will not be deployed for routine policing. This ensures that the force remains an exclusive agency tasked with sustained surveillance, intelligence gathering, and targeted operations against drug networks.
