A team of Excise officers seized 40 kg of ganja from a five-member gang after a dramatic chase that lasted for 14 km from Walayar to Mele Pokkanthodu near Menonpara in the district on Friday evening.
Although local people too joined the Excise Squad in the chase, the gang ran for safety after leaving their car. The Excise Squad led by Circle Inspector M. Rakesh broke open the car and recovered four bags containing the ganja.
The car did not stop at Walayar checkpost when the Excise team asked it to stop. It proceeded by hitting civil Excise officer Sreekumar. The Excise team chased the car for 14 km until it ended in a paddy-field at Mele Pokkanthodu.
Excise officials said that the gang was from Malappuram and a Tirur-based drug dealer was behind it.
They had reportedly brought the huge quantity of ganja from Andhra Pradesh by train.
It was being brought in the car from Tirupur when the Excise team stopped them at Walayar.
As much as 65 kg of ganja was seized in the last three days in the raids as part of the Operation Monsoon begun by the Excise Deputy Commissioner, Palakkad.
Excise Inspector T. Rajeev, Preventive Officer Lothar L. Perera, civil excise officers Johnson, Srikumar, Shinoj, Suresh, Visakh, Vinesh and Selvakumar Plakkal, and Excise officers from Cherpulassery were among those who effected the seizure on Friday.
