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The Ernakulam excise division spread across 15 range offices, 7 circle offices and an enforcement squad has registered 866 cases under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act and arrested 862 accused during the period between January 1, 2025 and July 18, 2025.
Besides, 39 vehicles used for smuggling drugs and ₹5.82 lakh have also been seized during the period.
Though ganja continues to dominate the drug market with the seizure pegged at 357 kilograms, synthetic drugs continue to show a rising trend. MDMA topped the list among the synthetic drugs with nearly 408 grams seized.
Nearly 348 grams of heroin have been seized during the period followed by hashish with 169 grams. Among the other seized items were brown sugar (34 grams), charas (47 grams), hashish oil (60 grams), methamphetamine (13 grams), LSD (0.84 grams), nitrazepam tablets (27 grams), lorazepam (120 grams), buprenorphine tablets (6.15 grams), tramadol (7 grams), clonazepam (9 grams), and hybrid ganja (2 grams).
Two guns seized
Two guns have also been seized.
“We have been able to tighten up the enforcement and register more cases during this year as many pending vacancies in our offices could be filled. Ganja continues to dominate the drug market while synthetic drugs are also being seized in small quantities almost on a daily basis. One thing we have noticed is the increasing number of women being used as carriers,” said T.M. Maju, Excise Deputy Commissioner, Ernakulam.
He said drugs are being increasingly smuggled in through trains as excise has intensified checking inter-State buses.
The Ernakulam Rural police have registered 2,068 NDPS cases in the first six months of this year, which has surpassed the total number of cases, 2,037, registered during the whole of 2024. Action has been initiated against 2,197 during the period.
During the period, 20 kilograms of ganja were seized, which was more than 225 kilograms seized during the entire 2024. MDMA seized as on June 30, 2025, stood at 750 grams, which was exactly the total seizure during 2024. Besides, 88 grams of hashish oil and 228 grams of heroin have also been seized as against 1,200 grams and 400 grams seized during 2024.
Besides, 500 sacks of banned tobacco products were seized from a go-down near Perumbavur from where supplies were being made to other States. In another incident, 25 kilograms of ganja were found hidden in cycle tubes.
“Ganja is being increasingly smuggled in from Assam, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal targeting mostly the migrant community. Bengaluru, Goa, and Delhi are among the destinations from which synthetic drugs are mostly smuggled in,” said Rural police sources.
District Police Chief (Ernakulam Rural) M. Hemalatha has intensified the drive against drugs.
Published – July 24, 2025 01:42 pm IST
