Hyderabad: Eagle Team has taken the lead in the Hyderabad drug trade crackdown, recording heavy seizures and moving aggressively through city and district-level supply routes. Operating with full autonomy under the Narcotics Bureau, the unit has exposed gaps in the Excise Department’s approach and drawn strong backing from the state government.
Over the last couple of weeks, the Eagle Team has been on a roll, pulling off a series of massive ganja busts that make recent Excise hauls look pretty tame by comparison. While the Excise squads are still doing their usual road checks and routine patrols, the Eagle units have taken a more surgical approach—breaking up pub-based distribution rings, cutting off transport routes, and even tracking down the digital trails dealers are leaving behind.
In the city, surveillance has been ramped up across the Cyberabad stretch, where Eagle teams zeroed in on users and sellers coordinating via closed WhatsApp groups. One such network was brought down after officers decoded a string of alerts; fourteen people were arrested. Meanwhile, public tip-offs are on the rise, with families now stepping forward to report drug use inside their own homes.
Excise officials have faced criticism for their limited intervention in pubs, where, according to reports, much of the city’s drug circulation occurs. The department has cited licensing and classification issues, claiming some outlets do not qualify for direct enforcement. Detractors say Excise has confined itself to paperwork and ignored deeper enforcement.
Chief Minister Revanth Reddy has called for citywide mobilisation against narcotics and asked film actors to take up the message. Institutions found sheltering drug activity will face strict action, he warned.
On Monday, Eagle Team and Rachakonda police seized 935 kg of ganja near Batasingaram in Ranga Reddy district. The haul followed a two-day crackdown in which officers dismantled two major drug networks and seized narcotics worth ₹6.5 crore. Four pubs were sealed in Hyderabad, and their operators arrested.