Special squads to fight drug traffickers in Kozhikode

Police and excise department have been monitoring several new drug outlets in Kozhikode district as part of the crackdown on drug peddlers ahead of the Onam season. Officers coordinating the special drive said several seizures have already been made with the help of informers and plainclothes officers on the ground.

Flash Check

A flash check of vehicles covering important sections of national and regional roads is underway.

District boundaries and rural roads connected to highways are under the radar of anti-drug squads.

“More preventive measures are being considered following the fresh call made by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan during his address at the Kerala State Police Officers' Convention to intensify the fight against drug trafficking. Lists of frequent offenders are now available in all local police stations for follow-up action,” a senior police official said. He added that the police's high-tech cell was tracking the movements of all suspects.

Members of the district Anti-Narcotics Special Action Force said all those arrested recently for drug trafficking were part of an inter-state drug trafficking network that was dealing in huge quantities of smuggled synthetic drugs targeting students and youths. It was after several months of investigation that six of the main suspects were arrested, they said.

There were around 25 drug hotspots in Kozhikode city alone in the list initially prepared by the police, which was later expanded by adding more points.

Mobile unit wanted

Excise department sources have also called for deployment of a state-level mobile task force, backed by strike forces, and setting up of district-level control rooms to strengthen enforcement. Joint raids with the support of government railway police, anti-narcotics squad and forest teams will be conducted at identified locations, they said.