Kerala’s anti-narcotics campaign, Operation Toofan, is set to expand into a coordinated initiative involving southern states. Police chiefs from these states have agreed to collaborate with Central agencies to crack down on drug trafficking. Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala announced this decision after a meeting of Directors General of Police (DGPs) at the Police Headquarters in Thiruvananthapuram.
In the upcoming phase of the campaign, each southern state will designate a Superintendent of Police (SP) as a nodal officer to enhance intelligence sharing, monitor inter-state drug movements, and coordinate joint enforcement actions. Chennithala emphasized the importance of a regional approach to combat drug networks supplying substances to Kerala, stating that the fight against narcotics cannot be limited by state boundaries.
The next stage of Operation Toofan will involve a significant joint operation with Central enforcement agencies and police forces from across southern India. The objective is to block all possible routes through which narcotic substances enter Kerala. Traffickers have adapted to intensified enforcement under Operation Toofan by using alternative methods, including courier services and online platforms, to transport drugs.
The government aims to close off these avenues to achieve its goal of making Kerala a drug-free state. Chennithala also raised concerns about the misuse of prescription medicines, highlighting the illegal procurement and diversion of expensive drugs, including those prescribed for cancer patients, for substance abuse. He stressed the importance of selling medicines only with valid doctor’s prescriptions and proposed joint enforcement efforts by the Home and Health Departments to curb the illegal sale and misuse of prescription drugs.
The decisions made during the meeting are expected to enhance inter-state intelligence sharing and coordinated enforcement efforts, recognizing the necessity of a unified response beyond Kerala’s borders in the fight against narcotics.
