Kozhikode city police anti-narcotic squads in action to net frequent offenders

Aimed to crush the discreet network of drug traffickers, the anti-narcotics squads under the Kozhikode city police have stepped up its field-level surveillance measures to nab frequent offenders who target youngsters and school children. Plainclothesmen are on the field now based on the intelligence inputs and Call Detail Records (CDR) of the previously arrested to make headway in the continuing investigations.

Officers with the District Ani-narcotics Special Action Force (DANSAF) said, the well-planned operations executed last year with the support of various local police stations turned out to be a thumping success in exposing many inter-State drug traffickers and frequent offenders. Forfeiture of many properties illegally amassed by the drug traffickers was another milestone, they said.

According to the updated figures released by the District Crime Records Bureau (DCRB) on Saturday, the Kozhikode city police arrested 2,094 drug traffickers in 2025 in 1,869 cases registered under various police stations. There were six foreign nationals and 70 other State suspects in the list of arrested persons, the data confirmed.

“The majority of the arrests were recorded for suspected drug abuse. In Kozhikode city, 1,528 persons were held for synthetic drug abuse. The total quantity of MDMA seized  last year was 3.93 kg,” said a senior police officer with the DANSAF. He said this was apart from the seizure of 135.44 kg of ganja, 80.77 grams of brown sugar, 1.33 kg of hashish oil and a huge quantity of LSD stamps and ecstasy tablets.

Besides the arrests, the police were able to invoke various grave sections under the Prevention of Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (PIT NDPS) Act, 1988. Proposals were submitted for the preventive detention of 61 accused in various major drug trafficking cases. Official order for the same was issued by the court in the case of 18 persons. Though 32 proposals were rejected, police sources said a favourable reply was expected in the case of other 16 pending proposals.

Forfeiture measures initiated against several suspects under section 68 F of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act was another major advancement in the enforcement actions. According to the latest DCRB data, forfeiture of illegally amassed properties was recommended in the case of 14 frequent offenders.

“In 2024, the total number of arrests was 1991 in 1835 cases. There was a slight increase in the number of cases and arrests following the heightened checking and surveillance measures,” said an Assistant Commissioner associated with the flash inspections. He said follow up investigations were underway into several cases registered in 2024 and 2025 after analysing the call detail records and other retrieved bank transaction details of the suspects.

With the heightened vigil, the police were able to nab 11 drug traffickers in Kozhikode city within the last ten days. As per official records, already eight cases, including two commercial quantity cases, were registered, besides seizing 917.4 grams of MDMA during flash inspections.