AP Showcases Its Eagle at Amit Shah’s National Meet Against Narcotics
Chief Secretary highlights Andhra Pradesh's anti-drug enforcement at Amit Shah-led review meeting.
Vijayawada: Andhra Pradesh Chief Secretary G. Sai Prasad on Friday highlighted the state’s Elite Anti-Narcotics Group for Law Enforcement (EAGLE)’s role in enforcing measures to curb supply of narcotics, which has helped position AP’s efforts as a national benchmark in narcotics control.
Participating in a nationwide video conference on Narco-Coordination presided over by Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday, the Chief Secretary underlined that Andhra Pradesh has significantly strengthened its anti-drug enforcement mechanisms through EAGLE.
Sharing details, Sai Prasad informed the video conference attended by chief secretaries, senior police officials, officers of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) and other departments that Andhra-Odisha border region had once been notorious for large-scale cannabis cultivation and trafficking. But measures taken by EAGLE, in coordination with other wings of state police, have brought in a major transformation. Andhra Pradesh is now regarded as a model for anti-narcotics enforcement in the country.
The Chief Secretary pointed out that intensive inspections are being conducted three times every week across all districts to prevent inter-state trafficking of narcotics through the railway network. These coordinated operations involve local police, Government Railway Police (GRP), Railway Protection Force (RPF), EAGLE personnel, and trained dog squads.
Sai Prasad further said EAGLE operates a dedicated and secure data centre at its headquarters in Mangalagiri, which serves as the central surveillance and intelligence hub for Andhra Pradesh's anti-narcotics network. The integrated system enables real-time monitoring and coordination among various enforcement agencies.
Addressing the conference, Amit Shah asked all the states to adopt a strict "zero-tolerance" policy towards narcotics and build robust surveillance systems by leveraging modern technology. The Union Home Minister emphasised that kingpins involved in narcotics trafficking should be identified, arrested, and brought to justice without delay towards achieving a drug-free India by 2047.
Among those who participated in the video conference from AP included EAGLE chief IGP Ake Ravi Krishna, EAGLE SP (Operations) K.M. Maheswara Raju, Visakhapatnam NCB SP J.D. Pankaj, and NCB DSP Kiran.
