Will form permanent task force for anti-drug operations: Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala on Friday said Kerala will take stringent measures to completely stop the flow of narcotics into the state and set up a permanent special task force to combat drug trafficking. He said the government would crack down on drug smuggling through land, sea and air routes as part of its efforts to make Kerala a drug-free state. The next phase of Operation Toofan will be carried out in coordination with police forces from five southern states and central enforcement agencies.

As part of the operation, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana will appoint nodal officers to improve coordination. Chennithala made the announcement after a meeting with senior police officials from the southern states.

He said all the participating states had assured full support for Operation Toofan. Intelligence inputs will be shared among the states, and joint review meetings will be held regularly. Karnataka's Home Minister is expected to visit Thiruvananthapuram on July 15, while Chennithala said he would also meet the Chief Ministers of Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.

The Home Minister said police have identified new methods used by drug traffickers, including online sales, courier deliveries, home delivery services, and abandoning drug packets at small railway stations for collection. He also said that even certain cancer medicines are being misused as narcotic substances.

To tackle the problem, the police will launch joint operations with the Health Department. The DANSAF (District Anti-Narcotic Special Action Force) teams, led by Narcotic Deputy Superintendents of Police (DySPs), will be strengthened with additional personnel and vehicles.

The meeting was attended by senior police and enforcement officials from southern states and central agencies, including the Director General of Police (DGP) of Tamil Nadu, senior officers from Karnataka, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, as well as representatives of the Customs Department, the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), the Intelligence Bureau (IB), the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), the Railway Protection Force (RPF), and Kerala Police.