KOCHI: Following the sharp rise in drug peddling by migrant labours in the city, the state police have decided to work in tandem with their counterparts in Andhra Pradesh and Odisha to curb the trade and trafficking of ganja. Recently, the sleuths recovered huge quantities of the contraband and arrested persons having ‘North Indian’ links in ganja supply. The arrest of Sayeed, hailing from Bhadohi district of Uttar Pradesh, with 11 kg of ganja has put the spotlight back on drug trading by migrant labourers.
To tackle the drug menace, City Police Commissioner M P Dinesh has constituted a Special Operation Group (SOG) and many drug peddlers have fallen in its net. The officers said they come across 10 to 20 narcotic cases every day. In a special drive last month, nearly 30 kg of ganja was recovered. The officers said the contraband was being brought to the state mainly from Odisha and Andhra Pradesh. The drug peddlers were mainly focussing on school and college-goers as wells as migrant workers.
ACP (Narcotic Cell) B Krishnakumar said more ganja peddling and seizure cases were being registered recently due to the strict vigil by the police, especially the SOG. “The drug is mainly being brought from Andhra Pradesh and Odisha. Now we are focused on tracing the sources. Hence, the probe will be extended to the two states,” he said.
A majority of migrant labourers consume ganja and bring the contraband to Kerala while returning from their native places. The migrant labourers mostly brought ganja from Odisha, while the Tamil Nadu men were peddling ganja brought from Andhra Pradesh, said the officers, adding the SOG team was closely monitoring suspect natives as well as migrants.
“The city police have strengthened the enforcement activities as per the directions of IG Vijay Sakhare and Commissioner M P Dinesh. A coordinated action of the teams helped in netting the peddlers,” he said.