TN police patrols six long-distance trains to curb ganja smuggling

The Tamil Nadu police have stepped up surveillance on six major trains coming from the eastern and northeastern states “to curb ganja smuggling”.

Amid concrete information about contraband being smuggled into the state from West Bengal, Assam, Bihar, Tripura and the Andhra-Odisha border, special teams of the CID have launched patrolling in long-distance trains. Surprise checks will be conducted on trains bound for Chennai or other destinations in the state, police sources said.

The initiative is part of a comprehensive, multi-pronged strategy devised by the Tamil Nadu government to systematically eliminate drug trafficking and substance abuse across the state. Through a combination of aggressive law enforcement, suspect asset freezes, institutional modernization, and community-based demand reduction, the state achieved record smuggling prohibitions in the first half of 2026.

So far in July, 1,020 drug-related cases have been registered, leading to the arrest of 1,270 people and the seizure of 1,034 kg of ganja, 4.5 kg of other drugs and 4,579 narcotic tablets, sources said. 3,950 drug hotspots have been placed under strict surveillance and 2,850 suspected workers have been checked on the directives of Director General of Police and Superintendent of Police Mahesh Kumar Aggarwal.

Steps have been taken to review cases, identify suppliers, beneficiaries, financiers and drug trafficking networks. As a preventive measure, 472 drug offenders were arrested this year under the Goondas Act, sources said.

Published – 14 Jul 2026 23:40 IST