WORLD’S BEST HASH MAKES A COMEBACK

Malana Cream posts bumper crop as cops turn down heat; supply surges to north Indian youth hubs like Gurgaon and Chandigarh, also to Mumbai, Pune, Goa

WORLD'S BEST HASH MAKES A COMEBACK

Malana Cream posts bumper crop as cops turn down heat; supply surges to north Indian youth hubs like Gurgaon and Chandigarh, also to Mumbai, Pune, Goa

Many a dopey thought the legendary Malana Cream was a thing of the past. Evidently not, if recent busts, street-corner peddler accounts and narcotics department figures are telling a story.

The hashish here, just like Havana cigars that are rumoured to be rolled between the thighs of young women, is made fine by the soft hands of children in the village. A tola of Malana Cream costs between Rs 2,000 and
Rs 3,000 in Indian cities.

"But there have been no effective raids in Malana in the last two years. So, while the hemp cultivation has stopped in the village, small patches of nearby hilly forests are being taken up to cultivate a hybrid, more potent variety of hashish," said a senior Himachal police official.

Arrests of at least 20 Haryanvi peddlers in the past year point to north Indian cities like Delhi, Chandigarh, Gurgaon, and Noida becoming major drug hubs. Traditionally, Nepali mafia had a stranglehold on trafficking, the police say, adding that Bhiwani and Rothak have become key transit points.

Last month, even the zonal director of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) in Chandigarh, Saji Mohan, was arrested for involvement in the Himachal drug trade. State police officials say Mohan ensured that Malana cultivators were not raided in the last two years.

NCB officials in Delhi say joint operations with the Himachal police have not been very successful because there is a huge pressure on the state force from lobbies that profit from the charas trade.

"Local pressure has always been there because powerful people both nationally and internationally have a stake in this trade," said Superintendent of Police Jagat Ram. He said besides the north Indian cities, the hash was going out in large quantities to Mumbai, Pune and tourist places in Goa.

City cartels confirm the swell in supply. "Malana Cream has come back to the market in quintals," said a Noida-based peddler. "There is a very high demand among BPO employees, other young professionals and socialites."

Delhi police confirm that the city is a huge transit point as well as drug market. Said Delhi police spokesperson Rajan Bhagat, "Himachal is one of the prime sources of drugs like hashish."

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