Every brick and rupee earned through drug trade belongs to people of Himachal: Sukhu

Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has said that those who have amassed crores of rupees in illegal wealth through the drug trade will now have to account for their ill-gotten assets. He said that luxurious houses, hotels, shops, land, cash and expensive vehicles acquired through drug trafficking have, in fact, been built at the cost of the hard-working people.

“Those who built luxurious houses, purchased hotels, shops and acquired expensive vehicles by selling drugs must understand that this money belongs to the hard-working people, the poor and those families whose children have been trapped in the web of addiction. This money was taken from them and is now being recovered,” the Chief Minister said.

He congratulated the Nurpur Police for taking decisive action against drug traffickers and seizing properties worth approximately Rs. 3.27 crore. He said that the state government has launched a comprehensive campaign against the drug trade and that illegally acquired assets, generated through narcotics trafficking, would not be allowed to remain with criminals at any cost.

He said that those who have built luxurious houses, purchased hotels and shops and acquired expensive vehicles by selling the drugs would now have to account for their illegal earnings. Such assets are accumulated at the cost of families whose children become victims of this grave social menace, he added.

The Chief Minister said that the properties seized in Nurpur include a luxurious house, land, hotel, shops, vehicles and bank accounts. “The action sends a clear message to the drug mafia and drug peddlers that there is no place for them in Himachal Pradesh,” stated the Chief Minister.

He further stated that the state government’s policy is not limited merely to the arrest of drug traffickers. “Our objective is to completely dismantle the entire drug network, including its financial infrastructure and the illegally acquired assets generated through the drug trade,” he said adding that the police and law-enforcement agencies have been given “full freedom to take stringent action in this direction and the government is extending all possible support to them”.

In the Police District Nurpur, properties worth more than Rs. 29.95 crore have so far been seized in 17 cases. This clearly reflects the state government’s strict policy against the drug mafia and the commitment of the police to curb the menace of drugs.

Sh. Sukhu said: “Himachal Pradesh is a Devbhoomi and no attempt to engulf the state into drug abuse and trafficking would be allowed to succeed. The government will continue to take stringent action against every individual involved in the drug trade and against the entire network in order to protect the future of the youth of the state.”

The Chief Minister said that after the formation of the Congress government in the state strict implementation of the PIT-NDPS Act is being ensured against habitual offenders to put them behind bars.

He also appealed to the general public to share any information related to the drug trade with the police so that this grave social menace could be eradicated from the society.

He said that drug mafias have been mapped up to the panchayat level and continuous stringent action was being taken against persons involved in the drug trade as well as their networks.

The Chief Minister reiterated that the state government would continue its fight against drugs with utmost determination and commitment.