The Coimbatore City Police have invoked provisions of the Goondas Act against nine persons, who were arrested with synthetic drugs in February and March.

The detainees have been identified as S. Mithunraj, 27, of Chettipalayam; Jeganathan of Udumalpet; M. Gokul, 28, of Kalapatti; M. Aswin, 25, and S. Riyas, 32, of Kollam district in Kerala; A. Amal, 24, of Thiruvananthapuram; Abdul Saleem, 46, of Palakkad; N. Ansad, 23, of Aluva in Ernakulam, and A. Azarudheen, 28, of Gudalur.

The police had seized a total of 69 grams of methamphetamine and 20 lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) stamps from them.

The Race Course police initiated proceedings to invoke provisions of the Tamil Nadu Prevention of Dangerous Activities of Bootleggers, Drug Offenders, Goondas, Immoral Traffic Offenders, Forest Offenders, Sand Offenders, Slum-Grabbers and Video Pirates Act, 1982, popularly known as the Goondas Act, treating them as ‘drug offenders’.

Acting on the recommendations of Kattoor range Assistant Commissioner T.H. Ganesh and Race Course Inspector R. Arjun Kumar, City Police Commissioner A. Saravana Sundar slapped provisions of the Goondas Act on the nine persons.