KOCHI: Ganja was long thought to be the state’s most popular and trafficked illicit substance. Nearly 80% of all drug seizures made by law enforcement authorities over the years was cannabis. However, according to the latest police data, the trend appears to have changed with a large number of abusers turning to synthetic drugs like MDMA and high-end hashish which have dangerous effects.
As per the data, 4.4kg of MDMA has been seized so far this year, compared to 2.7kg in the whole of 2021. It was mere 105 grams and 316 grams in 2019 and 2020, respectively. Besides, the police also seized 24kg of hashish and 610 grams of brown sugar this year. A total of 6.5kg and 5.05kg of hashish were seized in 2021 and 2020, respectively. Meanwhile, the ganja seizure was 1,368kg in the last four months, while it was 3,841kg last year.
“It is true that cannabis was the most commonly used illicit drug by abusers. If the people who are in the 30-35 age group used ganja earlier, they have now also trying MDMA and hashish. A large number of youngsters we recently arrested under the NDPS Act are also addicted to the high-end drugs. Though the number of ganja users is still more, a large number of them are switching to synthetic and costly drugs,” a police officer said on condition of anonymity.
K Karthick, district police chief, Ernakulam (rural), said the compactness of the costly drugs may be the reason for many being attracted to these. “Compared to previous years, the enforcement activities of the police have increased a lot. This has resulted in the seizure of several drugs, including ganja, MDMA, hashish and others. Due to the enforcement, it has become difficult for drug abusers to transport ganja. Since synthetic drugs are compact, it is easy to be transported. This might also be a reason for several persons to switch to the these,” said Karthick.
Another officer said the use of high-end drugs has become a status symbol among drug abusers. “The trend is most visible among techies, dancers and also those in the film industry,” the officer added.
The police also registered cases against 8,124 people in the last four months under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act in the state, as against 5,586 cases in the whole of 2021. DIG Neeraj Kumar Gupta (Ernakulam range) said people are preferring chemical-based drugs rather than ganja.
CHENNAI YOUTH NABBED WITH LSD
Kochi: Police on Wednesday arrested a 23-year-old Chennai youth for possession of two LSD stamps and ganja beedis. Police said Lokeshwaran, 23, of Chennai, was nabbed while he was coming out of Ernakulam South railway station. He came to the city to visit various tourist places. He was nabbed based on a specific intelligence input. Police said they have intensified operations to check rising activities of drug rackets in the city. A raid was carried out at wharf in the island. The baggage of passengers arriving at the wharf were checked.