Drug trafficking: Kozhikode city police nab 1,603 suspects in six months

Heightened vigilance and sustained patrol efforts by the Kozhikode city police, with the support of the District Anti-Narcotics Special Action Force (DANSAF), led to the arrest of 1,603 suspects, including three foreign nationals and 58 people from outside Kerala, in the past six months. According to the latest statistics from the District Crime Records Bureau (DCRB), a total of 1,505 narcotic cases were registered during this period.

Officers with the anti-narcotics squad said 31 of these cases involved the seizure of drugs in commercial quantities. “The total seizure included 102.55 kg of ganja, 2.61 kg of MDMA and 1.033 kg of hashish oil, reportedly brought in to target young drug users. This was apart from the recovery of smuggled LSD stamps, brown sugar and tranquilliser drugs,” they said.

Apart from routine checks, Operation D-Hunt, a State-wide crackdown on drug peddlers, was a major success in Kozhikode city. The police registered 1,118 cases and arrested 1,170 suspects as part of the drive. The operation also led to the seizure of 60 kg of ganja, 1.04 kg of MDMA, and 1.033 kg of hashish oil, said a senior officer who compiled the data for the DCRB.

He said that police squads from the Kunnamangalam, Nadakkavu, Kozhikode Town, and Feroke stations made significant breakthroughs in seizing MDMA, one of the most dangerous synthetic drugs, and apprehending key traffickers.

One of the major achievements during the six-month drive was the arrest of an 11-member drug peddling gang with international links. The gang played a key role in distributing synthetic drugs among youngsters in Kozhikode, Palakkad, and Malappuram districts, according to anti-narcotics squad members.

In the case registered at Kunnamangalam police station, officers arrested a Nigerian national and two Tanzanian citizens who allegedly coordinated the synthetic drug trade in India. They were said to be operating a well-connected network of local traffickers and international agents. All 11 suspects were arrested within three months, police sources said.

Updated data on drug seizures also revealed that most non-Keralite drug peddlers arrested in Kozhikode with smuggled ganja hailed from Uttar Pradesh, Odisha, and West Bengal. They had arrived in the city for odd jobs and roadside businesses, and primarily targeted migrant workers. The police sources said other suspects were found focusing on students, using synthetic drugs reportedly smuggled in from Bengaluru.