Kerala police carry out massive anti-drug drive, arrest 285 individuals

In a sweeping crackdown against the illicit drug trade, the Kerala Police have arrested 285 individuals and filed 281 cases in a statewide operation.

An official statement revealed that several kilograms of contraband, including MDMA, ganja, hashish oil, brown sugar, and so on, which cost lakhs of rupees in the international market, were seized during the raids conducted on Saturday.

The drive, named 'Operation D-Hunt', was aimed at exposing individuals involved in drug peddling, storage, sale, and consumption, as per the statement issued here on Sunday.

During the operation, 1,820 persons suspected of being involved in drug peddling were interrogated, which resulted in the registration of 281 cases for possession of various narcotic substances, the police statement added.

As many as 285 persons were arrested on various charges, it said.

Information about those suspected of participating in the sale of narcotics was gathered discreetly beforehand, and raids were conducted at their potential hideouts.

The drive was carried out under the aegis of range-level NDPS coordination cell and respective district police chiefs.

State police chief DGP Sheikh Darvesh Sahib has directed officials to sustain the drive by creating a databank of individuals frequently implicated in such crimes and constantly monitoring their activities, the statement added.