Hassan (K'taka), Jun 27 (PTI) Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday instructed officials to form a special team to prevent drug menace in the state.

He asked them to trace the roots of the drug mafia and take action against them.

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Instructing the authorities to effectively curb the menace of drugs in the state, Siddaramaiah said continuous efforts are on to create awareness among the youth to prevent them from becoming drug addicts, and along with this, the roots of the drug mafia should also be traced.

He suggested that the drug menace should be curbed through strict measures including deporting the peddlers, the Chief Minister's office said in a release.

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Along with keeping a constant watch on the drug mafia, the movements of the sales network should also be closely monitored, Siddaramaiah said, as he asked officials to form a separate special team for this.

Noting that it is not enough for the police to register a case against the drug mafia, he said, it is also the responsibility of the police to ensure that they are punished in the courts.

Both the number of drug menace-related cases and the extent of punishment in such cases should be reviewed by senior officers, he said, as he instructed senior officials that while visiting each station, the extent of punishment in drug related cases should also be checked and a report should be sought from the station officials.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)