Keralam forms Anti-Narcotic Investigation Team as Operation Toofan set to enter second phase

You don’t have any Active Subscription.

Account subscription benefits alongside Premium Stories, Editorials, Opinions and more. Unlock these with Subscription

Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala during an event in support of Operation Toofan. File. | Photo Credit: Thulasi Kakkat

The Keralam State government has ordered the formation of a dedicated Anti-Narcotic Investigation Team to investigate high-value drug trafficking cases involving interstate and international links, Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala said here on Friday (September 18, 2026).

The new investigation mechanism is intended to expand investigations beyond individual arrests and drug seizures to identify the masterminds, wider networks and sources supplying narcotics to Keralam.

The Anti-Narcotic Investigation Team will function through three units based in Thiruvananthapuram, Ernakulam and Kozhikode. The team will be headed by Putta Vimaladitya, nodal officer of Operation Toofan and Inspector General of Police, North Range.

Each unit will comprise a Deputy Superintendent of Police, two Circle Inspectors, two Sub-Inspectors and other police personnel.

The Minister said 10,918 cases has been registered across Keralam under Operation Toofan and 11,776 accused persons arrested as of 10 a.m. on Friday.

The seizures include 23.925 kg of MDMA, 1,457 kg of ganja, 5.32 grams of hashish oil, 707 grams of brown sugar, 530 grams of heroin, 27.6 grams of cocaine and 2,398 ganja plants.

According to Mr. Chennithala, sustained enforcement action has reduced the supply of narcotic substances in the state by an estimated 20% to 30%.

The Minister also informed that the Kerala Police have arrested four more members of an interstate drug trafficking network in connection with the seizure of 13 kg of MDMA in Coimbatore, a case registered at the Manjeri police station in Malappuram.

The seizure, valued at approximately ₹10 crore, is regarded as one of the largest drug hauls made by Kerala Police.

The four accused arrested have been identified as Mohammed Haris of Malappuram; Akhil Joy of Wayanad, Salahudeen of Palakkad; and Karthik, a native of Udhagamandalam in Tamil Nadu.

Haris, Akhil Joy and Salahudeen were arrested from Bhagalpur in Bihar, while Karthik was apprehended from Chennai. They were subsequently brought to Malappuram. The arrests have taken the total number of persons apprehended by the Malappuram police in connection with the case to 13.

According to the Minister, the accused persons have been evading arrest without using mobile phones and had been moving through secret hideouts in various states. The trafficking network was found to have links extending to Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Bihar.

Operation Toofan will enter its second phase on September 28, with a shift in emphasis from supply reduction to demand reduction, prevention, treatment, rehabilitation and social reintegration.

Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan will formally launch the second phase of the anti-drug enforcement drive at Vengara in Malappuram.

The second phase will focus on creating Toofan Janajagratha Samithis (public awareness committees) through all local self-government institutions in the state. Panchayats, municipalities and corporations will be involved, along with residential associations and other local community organisations, Mr. Chennithala announced.

The samithis, which will function in every ward under the leadership of elected representatives, will seek to create awareness about the dangers and spread of narcotic substances and ensure timely intervention within families and communities.

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.