In news- The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) seized 52 kg of cocaine valued at over Rs 500 crore from an import consignment at the Mundra port in Gujarat’s Kutch district recently.
About Operation Namkeen-
- The DRI launched “Operation Namkeen” and intercepted a consignment, declared to contain 1,000 bags of common salt having gross weight of 25 MT, which had been imported at Mundra port from Iran.
- Samples tested from some suspected bags confirmed the presence of cocaine.
About Cocaine-
- Cocaine is a powerfully addictive stimulant drug made from the leaves of the coca plant native to South America.
- People snort cocaine powder through the nose or rub it into their gums.
- Others dissolve the powder and inject it into the bloodstream, or inject a combination of cocaine and heroin, called a Speedball.
- Cocaine increases levels of the natural chemical messenger dopamine in brain circuits related to the control of movement and reward.
- Street dealers often mix it with things like cornstarch, talcum powder, or flour to increase profits.
- Short-term health effects of cocaine include extreme happiness and energy, mental alertness, hypersensitivity to sight, sound, and touch, irritability and paranoia—extreme and unreasonable distrust of others.
- Cocaine’s effects appear almost immediately and disappear within a few minutes to an hour and how long the effects last and how intense they are depend on the method of use.
- Studies have shown that cocaine use speeds up HIV infection.
- There is no specific medication that can reverse a cocaine overdose, however, management involves supportive care and depends on the symptoms present.
Source: Times of India
