“Public intelligence teams will be set up to deal with drug threats”

Prohibited and excise tax Director Shahnawaz Qasim.

A common intelligence team of four people will be formed to simplify the indoor inter-information flow between Telangana’s GST and drug control departments. The department will focus on monitoring online and offline drug trafficking patterns and enhance collaboration between law enforcement wings.

The decision was made on Friday at a coordinated meeting between two departments in the city’s Abkari Bhavan. Shahnawaz Qasim, director of the Ban and GST, said special attention should be paid to industries, forensic laboratories, joint training, raids, WhatsApp groups and drug dealing.

He recommended a comprehensive action plan brochure outlining a “roadmap” for integrated law enforcement strategies. He also stressed that coordinated efforts among departments pave the way for effective implementation of the rules.

The meeting brought together senior officials from the GST and Drug Control sectors who discussed the urgent need for joint action and structured approaches to address drug trafficking and abuse.