Just three weeks into the New Year, the Kochi city police have registered over 100 drug-related cases, signalling the scale of the challenge confronting law enforcers and society at large.
A total of 111 cases have been registered under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act across police stations within the city limits up to January 17, sources in the police narcotics wing said. As many as 31 cases were added to the list on Saturday (January 17) alone following an intensive, day-long weekend combing operation across the city.
All cases detected during the special drive relate to alleged substance use. Of the 31 cases registered during the combing operation, eight were registered by the Kalamassery police and four by the Udayamperoor police. Cases were also registered in Thrikkakara and Ernakulam North police stations. A total of 19 cases were booked in stations under the Thrikkakara sub-division, police sources involved in the drive said.
“Areas under the Thrikkakara sub-division are easily accessible to peddlers from Aluva and Perumbavoor, where substances such as ganja and brown sugar are trafficked in large quantities. It could be the major reason for the large number of offenders landing in our net from the suburban areas during the intensive drive,” an officer said.
Small quantities of suspected ganja were seized in all the cases detected during the special operation. Under the NDPS Act, possession of up to one kg of ganja is classified as a small quantity. The 80 cases registered prior to Saturday’s special drive involved seizures of various narcotics, including synthetic drugs, in small and intermediate quantities.
The weekend special drive focused on sensitive locations where history-sheeters are known to gather, hotels offering rooms with relaxed rules, and bars hosting DJ nights, police sources said.
In addition, 123 cases of drunk driving and 19 cases under the Abkari Act were registered, with 188 persons booked during the drive. The operation was led by Deputy Police Commissioners Aswathy Jiji and Juvanapudi Mahesh.
A total of 6,914 NDPS cases were registered in Ernakulam district in 2025, including 3,006 cases within the Kochi city limits and 3,908 in rural limits.
