Kerala government has launched "Operation Toofan," a significant initiative aimed at combating the escalating drug use and trafficking within the state. This multi-pronged operation, announced by Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala, involves coordinated efforts with the Health and Excise departments to dismantle the drug mafia, employing a digitally accessible system for tracking drug distribution and usage. Key strategies include establishing a surveillance network with anonymous reporting mechanisms via mobile apps and WhatsApp chatbots, utilizing wastewater testing near educational and residential areas to pinpoint high-use locations, and employing drones for efficient patrolling. Furthermore, the operation enforces a strict ban on tobacco sales near schools and public gatherings, with immediate action taken by authorities, such as the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation dismantling tobacco stalls and confiscating illicit products intended for students. This crackdown has also exposed an alleged network involving minors selling these products for meager wages, underscoring the severity of the issue and the government's intent to seize assets connected to the drug trade.

Kerala government has launched "Operation Toofan," a significant initiative aimed at combating the escalating drug use and trafficking within the state. This multi-pronged operation, announced by Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala, involves coordinated efforts with the Health and Excise departments to dismantle the drug mafia, employing a digitally accessible system for tracking drug distribution and usage. Key strategies include establishing a surveillance network with anonymous reporting mechanisms via mobile apps and WhatsApp chatbots, utilizing wastewater testing near educational and residential areas to pinpoint high-use locations, and employing drones for efficient patrolling. Furthermore, the operation enforces a strict ban on tobacco sales near schools and public gatherings, with immediate action taken by authorities, such as the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation dismantling tobacco stalls and confiscating illicit products intended for students. This crackdown has also exposed an alleged network involving minors selling these products for meager wages, underscoring the severity of the issue and the government's intent to seize assets connected to the drug trade.

Kerala government has launched "Operation Toofan," a significant initiative aimed at combating the escalating drug use and trafficking within the state. This multi-pronged operation, announced by Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala, involves coordinated efforts with the Health and Excise departments to dismantle the drug mafia, employing a digitally accessible system for tracking drug distribution and usage. Key strategies include establishing a surveillance network with anonymous reporting mechanisms via mobile apps and WhatsApp chatbots, utilizing wastewater testing near educational and residential areas to pinpoint high-use locations, and employing drones for efficient patrolling. Furthermore, the operation enforces a strict ban on tobacco sales near schools and public gatherings, with immediate action taken by authorities, such as the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation dismantling tobacco stalls and confiscating illicit products intended for students. This crackdown has also exposed an alleged network involving minors selling these products for meager wages, underscoring the severity of the issue and the government's intent to seize assets connected to the drug trade.

On Tuesday, the recently formed Congress-led Government in Kerala have taken one of its first major measures by launching Operation Toofan, which is aimed at curbing the rising drug use in the state. The official launch of this initiative was announced on X by Kerala’s Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala, who stated that this was “aimed at overhauling the drug mafia in the state in coordination with the Health and Excise departments”.

Under the operation, a digitally accessible system has been developed to control drug trafficking, with provisions to collect information on the use and distribution of drugs in the state. The state government is also setting up a surveillance network, which consists of mobile apps and WhatsApp chatbots, so incidents of drug use can be anonymously reported.

The operation also intends to find locations of high drug use through wastewater testing near schools, colleges and residential areas and use drones for patrolling, which can cover more areas in less time.

The government has stated that the sale of tobacco products near schools, five-star hotels, DJ parties and other gatherings will not be allowed, and strict action will be taken against the perpetrators.

Government bodies have started to take action: before schools reopened, on May 30, the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation, along with the police, closed shops that sold tobacco products. The action began at Medical College, Elankavu, Ulloor, Prashanth Nagar and Akkulam.

The “distribution points” of the products were paan shops and lottery stalls, and 30 stalls where the tobacco was found were dismantled and loaded up onto corporation vehicles. The authorities confiscated “five sacks of narcotic and addictive products” which were allegedly intended to be sold to students.

As per The New Indian Express, Thiruvananthapuram Mayor Corporation V.V. Rajesh and Town Planning Committee Chairman Pattoor Radhakrishnan stated that an alleged network was operating behind the distribution of these illegal products and that children below the age of 18 were made to sell them for a daily wage of ₹1000.

Under the initiative, anti-drug awareness programmes would also be conducted in educational institutions, and action would be taken against the drug mafia, which would include the seizure of their assets which are connected to the drug network.

Drug users, traffickers and whoever else is involved in the network will be identified, and their movements will be surveilled.

The operation also aims to reduce the movement of synthetic drugs in the state, which are gaining popularity. The Cochin Unit of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) recently seized drugs like methaqualone, methamphetamine, and hashish oil from Kochi, Malappuram, and Thiruvananthapuram under Operation ‘Chakravyuh’. In the op, 24kg of drugs and ‘psychotropic substances’ were seized and five people were arrested under the NDPS Act.

The drug network in the state seems to be growing, going by data recently shared by Kerala Police. Their official website shared that over 40,000 cases have been filed under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act since 2020. If ‘Operation Toofan’ proves successful, it can be used as a model and implemented by other states.

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