The Excise department is preparing to intensify inspection at border checkposts in Wayanad, the lone district that shares borders with Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, in the wake of a rise in drug smuggling.
“We are planning to intensify regular checking to foil attempts by the drug mafia to make the district a drug corridor,” A. Aboobacker Siddique, Assistant Excise Commissioner, Wayanad, told The Hindu.
A meeting of senior Excise officials, chaired by B. Pradeepan, North Zone Excise Joint Commissioner, recently decided to strengthen inspection on the Kerala-Karnataka borders at Bavali, Muthanga, and Tholpetty, Mr. Siddique said.
The department had inspected 31,256 vehicles and registered as many as 182 cases under various Sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substance (NDPS) Act from January 1 to August 28 this year.
Besides, synthetic drugs such as MDMA (1.07 kg) and methamphetamine (130.69 gram) were seized from 203 persons, he said. Also, 197 kg of ganja, 5.5 gram of hashish oil, and 2.1 gram of hashish were seized during the period. While ganja smuggling declined this year, smuggling of chemical drugs increased considerably, he added.
“Assumptions on the impact and attributes of MDMA as a libido booster seem to have contributed to the popularity of MDMA among youngsters,” Mr. Siddique said.
The availability of synthetic contraband from places such as Bengaluru and Mysuru, the ease of transport of the drug, and the huge profit attracts youths, he added.
The officials also seized 1,649 litres of Indian-made foreign liquor during the period.
As many as 512 cases were registered under the Abkari Act and 2,307 under the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act, 2022 (COTPA), and 70 kg of banned tobacco products were seized during the period.
