After a brief lull following the lockdown in the last week of March, the flow of ganja to the district seems to be steadily on the rise over the past couple of months.
In the past eight-month period since the clamping and the lifting of the lockdown, September has accounted for the most number of cases under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act at 33 and seizure of the maximum volume of ganja of 37.56 kg during a single month in the Ernakulam excise division. Notwithstanding the restrictions on arrests, 46 persons were detained during the month.
So far this month, 8.73 kg of ganja has been seized and 14 persons have been arrested under 28 NDPS cases. The arrest of a teenager with 2.25 kg of ganja from Thripunithura on Monday was the latest seizure.
In March, 3.77 kg of ganja was seized, which dropped to 0.26 kg in April at the height of the lockdown. It surged to 21.39 kg May before dropping to 2.15 kg in June, 0.15 kg in July and 0.53 kg in August. In total, 74.56 kg of ganja was seized and 57 ganja plants were uprooted during the March-October period.
“Due to the severe restrictions of COVID-19 protocol, enforcement is now mostly restricted to specific tip-offs, leaving traffickers with a congenial atmosphere for smuggling in ganja. For every seizure we make, many more consignments may be entering the district undetected,” said T.A. Ashok Kumar, Deputy Excise Commissioner, Ernakulam.
Hiding the contraband in cargo vehicles from neighbouring States, mainly from Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, remains one of common modus operandi now to smuggle in ganja in the knowledge that not all vehicles would be checked in the prevailing situation.
“It is common for youngsters from here to go to Cumbum or Theni in Tamil Nadu or Rajahmundry in Andhra Pradesh to take delivery of ganja. There is a significant drop in the prices of ganja in those States considering that supply exceeds demand and that smuggling to faraway places like Mumbai is not possible now,” said Mr. Kumar. “This means that the carriers who manage to get the consignment into the district undetected can make a huge profit,” said Mr. Kumar.
The excise department had recently formed a six-member special squad led by an excise inspector to stem the influx of ganja into the district.
