Hyderabad, Aug 18 (IANS): As part of the drive to check drug menace, Telangana’s Prohibition and Excise Department conducted raids on several pubs and bars in Hyderabad and adjoining Rangareddy district.

The personnel formed 25 teams to conduct the raids on popular pubs and bars at various places in both districts late on Saturday night. The raids continued till the early hours of Sunday.

The team conducted tests on suspects with panel drug detection kits to confirm if they were consuming drugs.

The raids were conducted on the direction of Telangana Prohibition and Excise Director General V.B. Kamalasan Reddy.

Joint Commissioner Qureshi, Assistant Commissioners R. Kishan and Anil Kumar Reddy and Additional S.P. Bhaskar supervised the simultaneous raids.

The teams conducted searches at 12 bars and pubs in Hyderabad district and 13 bars and pubs in Rangareddy district.

Top officials have already warned pubs and bars that if they allow the consumption of drugs on their premises, their licenses will be cancelled.

Meanwhile, police at Pet Basheerabad on the outskirts of Hyderabad seized ganja chocolates from a kirana shop.

Special Operations Team (SOT) of Medchal and Pet Basheerabad police conducted a raid at a shop in Subhash Nagar and seized 200 ganja-laced chocolates. They arrested the accused, identified as Pivesh Pandey.

Police said the investigations revealed that he had been selling ganja chocolates to customers for the last six months.

The police in recent months detected similar cases in different parts of the city and outskirts.

The state government has already declared that it will deal with the menace of drugs with an iron hand.

As part of this, the government has strengthened the Telangana Anti-Narcotics Bureau. Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy said in his Independence Day speech that strict measures have been initiated to free the state from the drug menace.