Alarming surge in synthetic drug usage among youth in Mangaluru; seizures triple in 2024

Mangaluru: Synthetic drug usage, particularly among students and youth in Mangaluru, has seen an alarming increase this year, with police seizing 7.3 kg of synthetic drugs worth Rs 6.59 crore in 2024—almost triple the quantity seized in 2023.

A synthetic drug is a substance with properties and effects similar to those of a known hallucinogen or narcotic drug.

Police Commissioner Anupam Agarwal said that Methylenedioxy Methamphetamine (MDMA), often sold as colourful tablets and capsules, is becoming easily accessible to students, leading to a surge in both trafficking and consumption, in a statement.

A total of 1,372 arrests have been made in drug-related cases this year, a significant rise from 948 arrests in 2023, the statement added.

The police have also conducted raids in prisons and collaborated with social organisations to create awareness about the dangers of drug use. Strict legal measures, including invoking the Goonda Act and district-exile orders, have been implemented against repeat offenders.a