KOCHI: Excise officers recently seized 100kg of ganja and arrested two people who were allegedly smuggling the contraband in a lorry to another state. Similarly, two youths were also arrested in Kollam after excise officers seized 5kg of ganja from them which they were trying to transport in a car. Despite these incidents, there has been a record drop in the seizures made and cases registered under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act and Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA) due to the lockdown.
According to the official statistics from the Kerala Excise Department, while 3,386 NDPS cases and 33,667 COTPA cases were registered from March to July 2019, there has been a significant decrease in the number of cases recorded during the same period this year. While the number of NDPS cases registered in this period was 896, the number of COTPA cases was 11,957. While 4,682 raids were carried out in Thiruvananthapuram from March to July this year and 36 persons arrested in NDPS cases.
In Kochi, 5,075 raids were carried out and 133 persons arrested under NDPS Act. “Although the inflow of the contraband is much lesser compared to the previous year, people are opting for various ways to obtain the same. Due to financial constraints and travel curbs, contraband smuggling to other states has come down to some extent. However, the challenges involved in conducting raids during the pandemic have encouraged drug peddlers to transport contraband without fear,” said a senior excise officer.
The officer also said the recent cases involved youngsters who wanted easy money. “The two youths from Kollam who were recently arrested didn’t have any previous history of drug peddling. During interrogation, they revealed that they wanted money as they were facing a financial crisis due to the pandemic,” the officer said. Officials said all steps are being taken to identify and arrest drug peddlers as cases are likely to increase after the restrictions are lifted.
Tele-counselling
“Under Vimukthi, both counselling and treatment are being provided through our de-addiction centres. Due to the pandemic fear, people now prefer telephonic counselling. More than 60 tele-counselling calls have been made during the lockdown. We have launched online activities to promote Vimukthi campaigns,” said Shibu P L, nodal officer (excise), Vimukthi de-addiction centre, Thiruvananthapu -ram.