GUWAHATI, Nov 10 - Unbelievable it may sound, but illicit drug trade has proliferated into every nook and corner of the State, both in urban and rural areas.
During an investigation carried out by The Assam Tribune, it came to light that in the last four years, illicit drug trade has assumed alarming proportions in the State penetrating into the rural areas too.
Even during the lockdown days, a section of drug peddlers provided home delivery facilities to their customers residing in remote and rural areas of the State.
The investigation revealed that in lower Assam, heroin is a popular opioid drug among people, especially the new generation, who take recourse to substance abuse. Heroin also has some local names, such as pao, mitha, bastu, etc. Drug peddlers are known to use such names to avoid difficulties from both public and police in running their business.
In the districts of upper Assam, brown sugar is comparatively more popular than in lower Assam and the drug is available at a cheaper rate than heroin in the local market.
On the other hand, in Goalpara and Dhubri districts of lower Assam, especially in the char areas, people indulging in substance abuse use cough syrup, codeine and other pharmaceutical drugs to fulfil their needs.
Among urban economically rich people involved in substance abuse, cocaine is very popular. But they use the drug only at parties.�� �������
�Earlier, a section of boys of Guwahati were victims of substance abuse, but now young people from either sex in both rural and urban areas of Assam have fallen prey to drug abuse,� a source said.�
Interestingly, although the demand for illicit drugs has been increasing, their price, especially that of heroin, has come down in the past few days. According to a source, ten years ago one gram of heroin used to cost Rs 1,000 to Rs 2,000 in the city and at times of crisis the price used to shoot up to Rs 2,000 to Rs 2,500. But at present, one gram of heroin is available for Rs 400 to Rs 500 in the city.
�About ten years ago, there were three to four hotspots of drugs in the city such as Gandhibasti, Manipuribasti, Six Mile, etc. But now illicit drug is readily available in any corner of the city. From Guwahati, the illegal trade is being spread to other places of Assam, especially to rural areas, by a section of students who come to the city to pursue higher education,� a source said.
In the first ten months of this year alone, the Crime Branch of City Police caught over 150 drug peddlers in Guwahati.
