TN turning into drug smuggling den under DMK regime: EPS

CHENNAI: Leader of Opposition (LoP) and AIADMK leader Edappadi K Palaniswami on Wednesday said the State has turned into a den for drug smuggling under the DMK regime. He demanded the DMK government to immediately transfer the case regarding the seizure of a huge haul of psychotropic drugs from Ramanathapuram district to the Central investigating agency to ensure the persons involved in organised crime were brought before justice.

Pointing to the seizure of around Rs 360 crore worth drugs at Vethalai near Mandapam in Ramanathapuram district, EPS in a statement said a present and former councilors who were attached to the DMK party were arrested for smuggling the contrabands. He demanded the Tamil Nadu government to transfer the case to the Central law enforcing agency to trace the source and conduits of the drugs.

“On behalf of the people of the state, I am requesting the Central government to take up the case if the state failed to transfer it on its own to the Central investigating agency, ” he said.

He continued in the same vein and said the seizure of huge haul of drugs in a single day has sowed seed of doubts that several thousands of crore worth drugs were being smuggled and sold in a month in the State, besides posing a question how “an ordinary DMK councilor involved in such a massive smuggling activity without the support of their party’s district and state level leaders assistance?

He further said that the prevailing situation would jeopardise the life of youngsters, particularly the students’ community, in the State. “Social activists are predicting that availability of drugs and easy accessible to such substance will result in crime rate affecting law and order situation in the State,” he said. EPS in a veiled attack also wondered that was this the achievement of the 18th months regime of the “incompetent” government.