Sat Nov 30 23:44:14 UTC 2024: **Cochin Police Crack Down on Drug Trafficking Ring, Arrest 1739 in One Year**
KOCHI, KERALA – Ernakulam Rural Police have announced a major success in their fight against drug trafficking, arresting 1739 individuals and seizing a large quantity of narcotics in the past year as part of ‘Operation Clean’. The operation, which ran from January to October 2024, resulted in 1582 drug-related cases being registered. Seizures included 202 kilograms of cannabis (100 kg from a single operation in Thadiyattampuram police station limits), 2.5 kilograms of MDMA, 200 grams of heroin, 77 grams of hashish oil, 170 grams of brown sugar, 8 LSD stamps, and 7 grams of methamphetamine. Additionally, 1275 cannabis bidis and 13 cannabis plants were confiscated.
A significant arrest involved Sarmeen Akhtar, a Mangalore resident, who was apprehended at Aluva railway station with one kilogram of MDMA hidden inside a water heater. Police believe Akhtar is a regular drug trafficker, transporting narcotics from Delhi to Kochi by train and returning to Delhi the following day after distribution. Akhtar’s arrest was part of a larger operation targeting a drug ring supplying Kochi’s youth.
Other notable seizures include 300 grams of MDMA from three individuals in Chendamangalam and a significant drug haul of over 20 lakhs rupees worth of MDMA from a Bengaluru-based trafficking operation in Angamaly. In a separate incident, a three-member gang was arrested in Kaladi for smuggling heroin worth approximately 20 lakhs rupees, hidden inside soap boxes.
Nine individuals were also preventively arrested under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. District Police Chief Dr. Vaibhav Saxena stated that the operation will continue, accompanied by social media campaigns and other awareness programs to combat drug abuse.
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