46 kg of ganja seized in Kozhikode within 24 hours; 6 held

A joint operation led by the excise and police departments seized 46 kilograms of ganja within a span of 24 hours here. The team apprehended six people, five migrant workers and a Malayali youth, and later remanded in judicial custody. The team also recovered cash from the accused.

Well-planned operation to protect the entire network
In the early hours of Friday, Odisha natives Madhu Swain (28) from Soon Mohi, Kullagada, and Silu Sedhi (26) from Chikkili, Kullagada, in Ganjam district, were apprehended from a rented house in Chakkitta Ida near Karaparamba.

The Excise Enforcement and Anti-Narcotic Special Squad, acting on a tip-off from the Kozhikode Excise Intelligence and Investigation Bureau and with assistance from the Kozhikode Excise Cyber Cell, seized 21.2 kilograms of ganja from the house.

“Though the duo were working as labourers, they were actually running a ganja business. The sales were local, but the entire operation was managed from Odisha. The handlers there decided where the ganja should be stored and to whom it should be delivered. These men had no contact with customers and were only instructed via WhatsApp to maintain secrecy, even if caught,” a preventive officer from the Anti-Narcotic Special Squad told Onmanorama.

Though the two men stayed in a lodge, they stored the contraband in another rented house where other migrant workers were staying. The duo accessed the house and handled the product without the knowledge of the other occupants, as per instructions from Odisha.

“We had to wait three months to catch them red-handed. It’s difficult to trace their contacts as there are no direct links,” the officer added. The gang primarily sold the product in the Malappuram district.

Chicken shop used as cover for drug trade
In a separate case, Salman Faris of Neelakuyil Thazham, Puthiyangadi, son of a chicken merchant in Nadakkavu, used his father's poultry shop as a front for his ganja dealings, in collaboration with Saurav Shiktar (29), a native of Kolkata. Salman allegedly handed over the contraband to customers disguised as packed fresh chicken meat.

On Friday late night, Nadakkavu police arrested the duo from Panikkar Road with 2.42 kilograms of ganja. They were caught at around 10.30 pm by a night patrol team led by Sub-Inspector Leela. The police also recovered Rs 61,160 in cash from them. Both have been remanded in judicial custody.

Odisha emerges as a major source of ganja
At midnight on Friday, the Vellayil police, led by Sub Inspector M Abhilash and the DANSAF team, arrested two migrant workers from Uttar Pradesh, Vashu (34) and Deepak Kumar (31), with 22.264 kilograms of ganja from their rented house on Panikkar Road, Vellayil.

The duo sold tea and groundnuts at the beach but were actually involved in the wholesale distribution of ganja. “They procured the ganja from Odisha and distributed it here. Odisha is a major source of the product now. The accused have been produced before the court,” Vellayil Station Inspector Baiju K. Jose told Onmanorama.