The Ernakulam Rural police limits seem to have emerged as a major destination and transit point for ganja smuggling, going by the staggering catch of over 800kg in the last couple of years, including the seizure of around 250 kg of the narcotic from Kuruppumpady near Perumbavoor on Friday.
As many as 70 arrests have been made and 30-odd vehicles were seized during the period. The Rural police are investigating 12 major cases involving huge volume of ganja. They include the seizure of over 370 kg from Karukutty near Angamaly, 75 kg from Kombara within the Thadiyittaparambu police station limits, 45 kg from Kalloorkkad, and 30 kg smuggled in through a courier at Perumbavoor.
“The seizure of a huge quantity of ganja in a short period does not necessarily mean a corresponding surge in consumption within the rural limits. Since large stretches of the national highway pass through Ernakulam rural, it could be a case of getting intercepted in transit while being smuggled in to other destinations,” said K. Karthik, District Police Chief (Ernakulam Rural).
The surge coincided with the outbreak of COVID-19 when enforcement agencies, especially the police, got pre-occupied with pandemic restrictions, leaving major gaps in enforcement for smugglers to exploit. The rollout of the Goods and Services Tax doing away with check posts for large measure also facilitated smuggling of ganja in the guise of cargo.
“An Aluva-Perumbavoor-based racket is active and is behind a majority of ganja trade one way or the other,” said P.V. Aleyas, Deputy Excise Commissioner, Ernakulam.
Paderu, a Maoist-infested village in Andhra Pradesh, has emerged as the major source of ganja flowing into Kerala. “Apart from going there to take delivery of ganja, many Malayalis are even engaged in ganja cultivation there,” said Mr. Karthik.
Potential buyers reaching Paderu are met on highways by agents, following which samples are exchanged, and the deal is finalised. Agents then take the vehicles of buyers and return them after stuffing it with ganja at the meeting point.
“Andhra Pradesh has emerged as the main source after smuggling through the Cumbum-Theni belt was effectively sealed offdue to strong enforcement on our side of the border. The northeast too has emerged as another source of ganja, though the quality is far inferior. The consignment is dumped along the way at places like Angamaly and is then transported to Perumbavoor using transportation modes like autorickshaws. The delivery is mainly aimed at migrant workers,” said a member of the Excise enforcement squad.
