Ernakulam tops again in narcotic cases registered in 2022

260 youngsters under 25 years in district booked under the NDPS Act by Excise
For representational purposes.
For representational purposes.

KOCHI: Ernakulam’s tryst with drugs continues unabated as it maintains its top position in narcotics cases registered by the Excise department across Kerala in 2022.  

According to Excise officials, the inflow of drugs into the district is seen growing year-on-year due to the increasing demand, and cases registered under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act cases are also seen increasing rapidly.

According to the data presented in the Assembly by Excise Minister M B  Rajesh, there were 6,610 NDPS cases registered by Excise in the entire Kerala during the year, with 876 cases registered in Ernakulam district alone. In 2021 too, Ernakulam District topped the list with 540 NDPS cases registered.

The district is followed by Thrissur (646), Idukki (586), Kannur (557), Alappuzha (527), and Thiruvananthapuram (524). “The data shows that drug flow to Ernakulam district, especially to Kochi city is rising every year. The most concerning factor is that there were around 260 youngsters under the age of 25 booked by Excise alone in narcotic cases in Ernakulam district. It is mostly, youngsters who are caught peddling synthetic drugs like  MDMA, Meth, and LSD. While brown sugar is mostly found in possession of migrant workers who are also involved in peddling,” a senior Excise official in Ernakulam district said.

This increase in NDPS cases registered by Excise in 2022 is significant compared to the 2021 and 2020 years that were hit by Covid-19. 

There were 3,922  cases in 2021 and 3,667 cases in 2020, whereas before Covid-19, there were 7,583 NDPS cases registered in 2018 and 7,099 cases registered in 2019.

The excise department under the Vimukthi programme is operating de-addiction centres in all 14 districts of the state. As per the details presented in the state assembly, the government has  spent Rs 78.34 crore since 2016-17 when the Vimukthi programme was launched.

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