Drug trafficking cases increase

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Despite the police and excise intensifying the vigil, there's no let down in the inflow of ganja and synthetic drugs.

Reports of more and more such cases are coming from various parts of the state, and the list of carriers even include, students and hoteliers, besides professional smugglers.

The inability to curb the roots of the supply chain spread beyond borders as well as the increasing demand for narcotic substances are significant challenges for the enforcement agencies. In most of the high profile drug seizures by the police and excise, the probe was limited to the carriers while the ultimate sources manage to find new supply channels.

According to police and excise sources, roots of some of the major ganja and hashish seizures here were leading to places like Odisha and Andhra Pradesh.
The sources of synthetic drugs like LSD and MDMA lead to places like Goa and Bangalore and even beyond the borders, like in Afghanistan.

The investigators find Naxal links to the roots of ganja and hashish smuggled into the state. Synthetic drugs have suspected terrorist connections. Hence the police and excise have limitations in cracking the roots. Meanwhile, the police recently came across extensive cultivation of ganja in Attappadi areas in Palakkad. They destroyed the plants and a probe to unearth the rackets involved is progressing. 

Vindicating the intensified enforcement against drug sales, the number of cases registered in the state has been increasing drastically over these years.
According to excise department sources, while the number of cases registered in the state for ganja sales was 2,968 in 2016, it almost doubled to 5,832 the next year. 

The number of ganja related cases registered during the first six months alone was 3,114, which also shows an increasing trend. IG administration P. Vijayan, who heads the Kerala Anti-Narcotic Special Action Force (KANSAF), said the police, excise and all other agencies like the Narcotic Control Bureau were carrying out concerted efforts to curb the rackets. 

"Many of the recent seizures of hashish and synthetic drugs were the outcome of concerted efforts of multiple agencies. The cracking of a racket involving Maldivians was an instance," he said. With students being the most vulnerable section to substance abuse, the police and excise were also carrying out a host of awareness activities targeting students. 

Over 20,000 cases of sale of narcotic substances and tobacco products were registered in the state during the last two years. While the police was carrying out awareness activities through the student police cadets and as part of community policing initiatives, excise officials have been regularly carrying out awareness programmes in schools and colleges.