The Visakhapatnam Range Police, overseeing five districts including Anakapalle, Alluri Sitarama Raju (ASR), Vizianagaram, Parvathipuram Manyam, and Srikakulam, has reported significant achievements in its war against narcotics for the year 2025. A comprehensive strategy focusing on enforcement, crop substitution, community awareness, and rehabilitation yielded substantial results in the pursuit of a drug-free society.
Multi-Pronged Enforcement & Eradication Drive
Deputy Inspector General (Visakha Range) Gopinath Jatti outlined the year's outcomes. A cornerstone of the strategy was the alternative crop distribution programme in the ASR district for the 2025-2026 financial year. This initiative aimed to wean farmers away from illicit cultivation, covering 29,979 farmers across 29,839 acres. The actual cultivation saw even greater participation, with 34,012 farmers cultivating crops on 35,011 acres. During the year, police destroyed 0.10 acres of ganja cultivation.
Technology played a crucial role in surveillance. The police deployed four advanced drones to survey 14,870 acres across 327 villages to identify illicit plantations. For the ongoing 2025-26 survey, 138 villages have been verified so far. Physical enforcement was bolstered by 24 CCTV-equipped check posts and 362 dynamic inspection points, leading to large seizures of ganja and hashish oil and numerous arrests. Additionally, nine special dog squads were used to detect concealed stocks.
Busting Networks & Legal Consequences
The police targeted organized trafficking rings with force. Their operations led to the busting of 25 inter-state and 44 inter-district gangs, resulting in the arrest of 315 offenders from Andhra Pradesh and other states. To ensure legal accountability, 34 special teams were formed, which apprehended 444 absconding offenders.
The judicial process saw stringent outcomes. In 2025, 61 persons were convicted in 39 cases, with courts awarding strict sentences. The police also initiated strong financial actions, seizing assets worth Rs 9.13 crore in 16 cases. Under the NDPS Act, 99 PIT-NDPS proposals were initiated and 645 suspect sheets were opened.
Community Outreach & Rehabilitation: The SANKALPAM Mission
Beyond enforcement, a massive community engagement program was executed under the SANKALPAM mission mode. Authorities conducted a staggering 22,050 awareness programmes, reaching 1,272,357 persons. This outreach included 16,690 villages and towns and 6,575 educational institutions539,760 students. The campaign distributed 164,815 pamphlets, installed 388 drop boxes, and established 4,094 Eagle Clubs.
In tribal pockets of Visakhapatnam and Anakapalle districts, alongside anti-trafficking efforts, training was provided in horticulture, aquaculture, poultry, and small-scale industries to create legitimate livelihood opportunities. For demand reduction, de-addiction centres were set up in every district. Using drone-based beats to identify consumption hotspots, police registered cases against users and referred 244 persons to de-addiction centres for treatment.
Tangible Outcomes & Destruction of Contraband
The law enforcement outcomes from January to October 2025 present a clear picture of the crackdown's scale:
- 509 cases were registered under relevant acts.
- 1,390 persons were arrested.
- 28,423 kg of ganja was seized.
- 341 vehicles used in trafficking were confiscated.
In a significant public demonstration of their commitment, authorities destroyed a massive cache of seized narcotics in February 2025 through the District Drugs Committee (DDC). The destroyed contraband included 67,000 kg of ganja and 77.267 kg of hashish oil, marking a major milestone in the region's fight against drugs.
