Amaravila, Kerala’s southernmost border with Tamil Nadu, has emerged as one of the preferred routes for drug smugglers to sneak marijuana into the State.
Excise officials manning the porous border from a shabby roadside check-post on the congested inter-State highway say that ganja has overtaken illicit spirit as the preferred contraband this year.
Ganja seizures have mounted significantly since January 2017, while spirit smuggling has correspondingly dwindled or shifted to other avenues.
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Amaravila Excise check-post alone accounted for more than a third of ganja seizures in Kerala this year, an estimated 80 kg.
Most were from professional carriers travelling in inter-State buses from Madurai in Tamil Nadu and local transport from Kaliakavila in Kerala. Among the 25 arrested were college students and a fashion designer.
Circle Inspector V. Subash and Inspector S. Anilkumar say random inspections of passengers and their baggage for contraband are akin to searching for the proverbial a needle in a haystack.
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Behavioural clues
Investigators lean heavily on behavioural clues such as signs of anxiety or awkward posture to zero in on carriers who conceal contraband.
They routinely ask bus passengers to identify their baggage stashed away on racks. “An unclaimed bag is sure to contain some contraband or other,” they say.
Enforcers say their methods are not foolproof, especially during rush hour traffic. For every successful bust, several consignments slip through the Excise net.
Investigators say that Madurai has emerged as the staging point for smuggling ganja into Kerala. The drug, which goes by the trade name “sheelavathi”, is sourced from Maoists dominated forests bordering Odisha and Andhra Pradesh.
It’s reputed to be more potent than homegrown varieties. Maoists are known to benefit from its cultivation and sale directly.
Marijuana smuggled into Kerala comes to Madurai from Anakapalle in Andhra Pradesh, usually hidden in jaggery consignments.
The drug, an estimated ₹2000 per kg at the source, accrues many times in value and rakes in more than ₹30,000 per kg when peddled in small packets on the street. A carrier gets around ₹2000 for a successful run.
The lion share of the profit goes to the big league of shadowy drug smugglers who run their racket on credit, trust and hired muscle. Law enforcers say that curbs on the sale of legal liquor in Kerala have come as a cash windfall for the elusive inter-State drug traffickers who hide their profits behind other investments.