Kozhikode: When schools and colleges reopened, significantly, the smuggling of ganja to the city increased manifold. Both police and excise department has recorded an increase in their seizures as well, with single cases yielding a recovery of about 15 kg. In June and July, the Excise department seized 6.73 kg ganja and booked 8 narcotics cases and 50 COTPA cases. City police has more cases and a larger seizure of about 25 kg.

“There has been a considerable increase in the smuggling of ganja to the city. Most of the supply network is based on the demand for the drug among students. Our special squads are working to check the inflow of the drugs,” Excise CI Ravindran told Deccan Chronicle.

Excise deputy commissioner P K Suresh said more cases of ganja seizure had been reported in June and July, indicating that there was an increased inflow of the contraband to the city from across the border.

“We are also focusing more on ganja peddlers these last months. We had a seizure of 15 kg on Tuesday and several gangs are under our surveillance,” ADGP Shanker Reddy told DC.

According to sources, there are two main supply channels for ganja to Kozhikode. One gang which supplies ganja at wholesale price to retailers is bringing the contraband from Karnataka via Mangalore. On this route, buses and trains are largely used to smuggle the drug to the city and are sold to retailers. The other gang brings it from places like Kambam and Theni in Tamil Nadu via Palakkad. This gang mostly relies on interstate buses and lorries to reach Palakkad and uses trains to smuggle ganja to Kozhikode.

Sources told DC that college students were now mostly using ganja inside campuses as it was easier to carry and use. A college lecturer admitted to DC that they did not pay too much attention to the use of the drug inside the campus as the drug makes the students less problematic inside classrooms. “Unlike liquor abusers, ganja addicts sit inside classrooms and do not disturb the teachers. We know there are many who are using it but taking action against them is difficult. As long as they do not interfere in our classes, we also do not care,” he said.

Though police and excise department have nabbed several agents in the trade, the kingpins remain elusive