Maharashtra govt to set up detention centres for foreign nationals indulging in drug peddling: Fadnavis

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday said in the state assembly that detention centres would be set up for foreign nationals indulging in drug peddling, overstaying their visa limit and committing petty crimes to evade deportation.

The government has also decided to appoint Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) as the nodal agency to control the distribution of the banned drugs, he said responding to a question raised by NCP member Rohit Pawar.

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“We have noticed that some Nigerians as well as other foreign nationals are involved in the supply of narcotics drugs. They overstay here violating the visa norms. To avoid deportation for such violation, they indulge in petty crimes and manage to stay here longer,” said Fadnavis, who is also the state home minister.

“To prevent such practices, the Maharashtra government has decided to set up detention centres where these foreign nationals will be kept until their deportation. We have also decided to appoint the ATS as the nodal agency to control the distribution of drugs,” he said.

Commenting on drug transportation via containers at ports, Fadnavis said the Union as well as state governments have tightened security at the borders, putting a check on the supply of such banned drugs.

Hence, the suppliers have started using containers to transport drugs in large quantities, he said.

“It is true that ports like Mundra and JNPT have reported supply of drugs under the name of something else. The process of procurement of hi-tech scanners is going on. These scanners will be able to detect the banned substances,” he added.