Drug controls

Thiruvananthapuram: A 123 percent increase in the ganja seizure cases in the state over the last several months highlights the dangerous situation prevailing subsequent to the closure of the liquor outlets since 2014. The scenario will worsen further in the coming days as a number  of liquor outlets were  shut from last month on the basis of the Supreme Court orders.

The drug rackets are literally making hay while the sun shines as ganja and other narcotic substances are becoming easy alternatives for the liquor. Youths, mainly students, are the targets of the  rackets. The massive flow of migrant workers to the state has opened a good channel for the flow of banned substances.

According to the latest analysis by the excise department, from May 25, 2016, the day the present LDF government came to power, till this March 31, 3,486 cases under  Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic  Substances (NDPS) Act were registered in the state. This is 123 percent higher than 1,566 cases under NDPS registered during the same period of the previous years.

“We are going through a dangerous situation as the drug peddlers have been targeting students over the last couple of years. The situation may worsen further in view of the closure of more liquor outlets last month. The excise department is initiating all sorts of measures, including inter-state operations, to curb the rackets,” said excise commissioner Rishi Raj Singh.

The excise department is conducting raids in cooperation with Tamil Nadu police on border places of Cumbam and Theni twice a month as these places are the hubs of the ganja distribution to Kerala. Similarly, joint raids are also being carried out with Tamil Nadu and Karnataka police at all border areas of Wayanad, Kasargod, Palakkad, Idukki, Kollam and Thiruvananthapuram. About 95 percent of the ganja being distributed in the state are brought from Tamil Nadu, according to the excise commissioner.

The drug peddlers are adopting fresh modus operandis as the excise and police keep on tracking them. The fresh one is suspected to be smuggling ganja and other substances though passengers in inter-state luxury buses. “Without  specific tipoffs, it would be difficult for us to scan the passengers and luggage of all inter-state luxury buses,” said Mr. Singh.

Another channel for the flow of drug and other banned substances, especially chewing tobacco, is the migrant labourers. The state has around 30 lakh migrant workers and they are a floating population. Every day,  thousands of migrant workers are coming to Kerala from places like West Bengal.

“It is chewing tobacco that the migrants used to carry in bundles.  Chewing tobacco is a habit among many in the northern states. Since it is banned in Kerala, it will sell like hot cakes among the 30 lakh-odd migrant population,” said Mr. Rishi Raj Singh.

Apart from the enforcement activities, the excise department is also giving thrust to awareness programme in educational institutions. “I myself conducted awareness programmes in 280 schools and colleges, while our officials did it in over 350 schools,” said Mr. Singh.