KOCHI: At the end of long workdays in labour camps scattered across Ernakulam’s industrial belt, tiny plastic bottles no bigger than eye droppers are quietly changing hands among groups of workers.
Priced between Rs 1,000 and Rs 2,000 each, the vials carry heroin measured not for bulk transport, but for repeat consumption — part of what enforcement agencies believe is a calculated attempt to build a new drug market within migrant-worker communities.
Officials say the bigger concern is the methods being employed to popularise the drug within densely populated worker settlements in areas such as Perumbavoor, Muvattupuzha, Mulavoor and Aluva. Sources said traffickers are increasingly relying on “micro-distribution” tactics — free trial doses, peer-level circulation, tiny retail packaging and commission-based supply chains — to gradually normalise heroin use among workers, particularly existing ganja users.
“This is no longer just about transporting drugs into Kerala,” a senior excise official told TNIE. “The focus now appears to be on creating a stable consumer base inside labour camps through low-cost and low-profile distribution.”
Excise officials said over 200g of heroin was seized in Ernakulam district last month alone, with a majority of the recoveries involving migrant workers carrying small bottles intended for local-level circulation.
Officers say the seizures indicate the emergence of a retail-style network operating very differently from traditional narcotics trafficking patterns.
Ground-level accounts gathered from workers suggest traffickers are deliberately projecting heroin as a stronger but “manageable” alternative to ganja.
Some drug peddlers use women to approach new users, say workers
“They initially give two or three bottles free to people they already know use ganja,” said Biplab, a migrant worker residing in Ernakulam who has witnessed the spread of the drug inside labour camps. “Once a few workers start using it regularly, the supply spreads through friends and roommates. Slowly more people begin trying it.”
Workers alleged that some peddlers also use women to approach first-time users and reduce suspicion around the substance. In several camps, the distribution reportedly functions through informal “agent” networks in which users receive commissions or discounted supply for bringing in new customers.
Officials said the tiny bottles psychologically reduce fear among first-time users and allow the drug to spread rapidly through peer networks inside camps. The small quantities also make the substance easier to conceal, making detection more difficult.
Investigators believe the close social structure of labour camps is helping the network expand faster, with users often introducing the substance to roommates and co-workers after repeated exposure.
Some workers admit the drug is increasingly being consumed as a coping mechanism for physically exhausting labour conditions and long working hours.
“It began among some workers like the practice of taking a smoke break after heavy work,” said Amardeep, a migrant construction worker in Ernakulam. “People believe it reduces body pain and mental stress. But many have become dependent on it.”
With inspections intensifying across labour camps, rented accommodations and transit points, enforcement agencies fear the larger threat may not be the quantity of heroin currently being seized but the speed at which the drug is quietly embedding itself inside vulnerable worker communities.
“The danger is that heroin use could become normalised before the entire network is fully identified,” a senior police officer said. “Once that happens, controlling its spread becomes far more difficult,” the officer added.