The arrest of five people from an apartment in Kochi on charge of possessing 7 gm of cocaine has blown the lid off drug use among young people at small, private parties. ‘Smoke party’ is what the police have termed such gatherings taking place in metro cities.
“The police have been investigating such parties based on reports that some of the premium apartments in the city were being used for drug parties. The organisers shift venues constantly and only members of a close circle are invited,” said Ernakulam Assistant Commissioner of Police S.T. Suresh Kumar. He said that many such apartments that were usually left unoccupied, but used only for such get-togethers, were under the surveillance of the police.
The police said that in Saturday’s arrest, two of the accused were close friends while the others were acquaintances who met through work, at other events or through mutual friends.
“Messages go out to the invitees through WhatsApp or Facebook. Thus, only a close group comes to know of the parties,” said Deputy Commissioner of Police R. Nishanthini. The police said that the accused also arrived at the party at different times and in taxis to avoid suspicion.
The drug is usually sourced from tourist centres such as Goa. In recent times, a few cases of cocaine sale were also detected from the city.
Three Kozhikode natives were arrested from Vasco da Gama square in Fort Kochi in December last year while they were allegedly trying to sell about 3 gm of cocaine.
A Nigerian national was arrested from Angamaly three weeks ago with 7 gm of cocaine in his possession.
An officer said that while cocaine of different prices was found in the market depending on quality, the drug was typically used by a small group of people as it was expensive. “Users usually tend to be young people who travel between metro cities.
One of those arrested from the flat has attended such parties in countries such as Mauritius and Maldives as well, besides cities like Goa and Mangalore,” said the officer.
Ms. Nishanthini said that police had been tracking information about several such parties where drugs were being used. But finding evidence was difficult as the drug, which was potent even in small quantities, could be flushed down a toilet or disposed of easily.
