KOCHI: Last week, a gang of three was arrested after they tried to run over a police team during vehicle inspection near the Alappuzha bypass. The speeding car came to a halt after ramming an electric pole. Officers seized 11g of MDMA from the car. They were baffled to see a 19-year-old woman, Hridya of Kannur, along with Albin (21) of Idukki and Nikhil (20) of Ernakulam.
Similarly, the Thrissur police recently arrested a trio, including a woman, who allegedly peddled drugs via a travel agency and a tattoo parlour. Sanjana Rajan (28), was running the travel agency at Vadanappally and used to frequently travel to-and-from Bengaluru. Officers accused her of being a conduit of high-end synthetic drugs.
Kerala, of late, has been witnessing a worrying spurt in narcotic cases. However, analysts note, what is more concerning is the apparent increase in the involvement of women, especially those aged between 18 and 25.
Most of the women arrested in narcotics cases were found peddling ganja, or with gangs dealing in MDMA aka “Molly”, according to officers of the Narcotics Control Bureau and the excise intelligence wing. Hashish oil and LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide) stamps, too, have been seized from female drug peddlers and carriers, they say.
In August, the police arrested four youngsters, including a 26-year-old woman, for possession of 70g of MDMA, worth more than Rs 10 lakh in the narco market, from a house near Akkulam in Thiruvananthapuram. Last month, the capital city saw officers nab a gang that dealt in narcotic pills and MDMA. Reports said one of the accused, a 23-year-old woman, was the gang’s “mastermind”.
‘Persuasion of lovers’
Officers, who spoke to TNIE on condition of anonymity, also revealed the presence of “cooking centres” in Thiruvananthapuram, Ernakulam and Malappuram. ‘Cooking’ refers to the preparation of substances such as MDMA, which is packed in sachets and supplied to other parts of the state.
“The number of women and girls involved in the drug mafia has gone up,” says Assistant Commissioner (Narcotic Cell, Kochi) K A Abdul Salam. “Those falling prey to the drug mafias are between 18 and 25 years of age. These females often take the first dose of MDMA, either through the persuasion of their lovers or friends, and slowly turn into addicts.
“Subsequently, some of these women turn carriers. Over the past six months, around five women in the aforementioned age group have been arrested in Kochi city alone, either while consuming or peddling drugs.” Abdul says several “surprise raids” saw “women and teenage girls” taking drugs along with their male friends. “On the whole, MDMA is frequently seized in Kochi city, followed by hashish oil and LSD. Simultaneously, there is ganja use and peddling. We have been seizing large as well as small quantities of all these drugs.”
Abdul notes that keeping even half a gram of MDMA is a non-bailable offence. According to narcotic cell officers in Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram, over 20 young women have been arrested in major busts across Kerala in past two years. And the number is rising, they caution.
Drugs via lipstick, nail polish
The excise department recently submitted a report before the High Court that there had been an increase in the involvement of women in peddling drugs, especially after the pandemic outbreak. Earlier, there was a trend of migrant women smuggling in ganja from other states. Now, it is mostly Malayali women -- including students doing professional courses and those working in the IT sector rule the roost.
“Women’s addiction to drugs such as MDMA and LSD is being taken advantage of, and they are used as carriers, from which they have no return,” says Thiruvananthapuram Narcotic Cell Assistant Commissioner P Sheen Tharayil. “Since women are not easily doubted or checked as often as men, it becomes easy for them to smuggle drugs. Narcotic substances are smuggled using mascara, lipstick, nail polish containers. Some even hide drugs in their undergarments.”
‘Point of no return’
Senior psychiatrist and member of Kerala State Mental Health Authority C J John says the impact of drugs is almost same on men and women, except for “some behavioural patterns”. “When a woman is into drugs, exploitative situations are more likely, wherein they have to compromise on various levels to procure drugs,” he says.
“As far as drug peddlers are concerned, women and children are soft targets, especially to groom them into mules. We are witnessing this trend now.” John says young girls, many in their teens, are increasingly falling prey to synthetic drugs. “The chemical influence in their body creates euphoria or hallucination,” he explains.
“A lot of MDMA and LSD is being used and these new substances are being promoted among the youth as ‘recreational drugs’. Party culture among employed women is on the rise, and, hence, drugs penetrate these venues.” Young women, John notes, are made to believe that “there is nothing wrong” and given a false sense of empowerment. “Once a person is addicted to a drug, it becomes like a brain disorder. It affects one’s reasoning. And, eventually, they reach a point of no return,” he says.
‘Most cases in 15-30 age-group’
Kerala’s only de-addiction centre exclusively for girls and women is located at Njalookara near Angamaly. Launched in April last year, the centre currently has 16 inmates. Over the past one year, it has treated 117 women, mostly victims of drug abuse. “There has been an increase in the number of women and young girls involved in drug abuse,” says Sister Sheena Paracattil, project coordinator of Nirmal Nikethan Mukthisadan de-addiction center, which conceived under the ‘Nasha Mukt Bharat’ campaign. “We accommodate addicts aged 10 years and above. Usually, we see females between 15 and 30 years. A lot of cases involving MDMA drugs are coming these. In most cases, these women were the carriers.”
Sister Sheena notes that women get trapped in unhealthy “love affairs” that ultimately lead them to drugs. “They use it in different ways -- rolling, injecting, snorting, etc.,” she adds. The youngest case at the center was a 16-year-old girl from Kottayam. Her mother was a carrier.
The child also started using and got addicted. Currently, the mother is in jail, and the girl at a child shelter home. “It is not easy to counsel them initially due to strong withdrawal symptoms,” says Sister Sheena. “Symptoms last for at least three weeks. Disturbed sleep, irritability, aggression, runny nose, loss or increase of appetite, etc., are some of the common symptoms. Hence, medical management is done first.”