Police, Excise to team up against drug trafficking; 997 habitual offenders under strict surveillance

Thiruvananthapuram: The state’s police and excise departments are joining forces in the fight against drug addiction, strengthening their collaboration for more effective enforcement. Moving forward, if authorities receive a tip-off about large volumes of narcotics, both forces will conduct operations together as a unified team.

To facilitate this, both departments have decided to share intelligence, and the police will provide call data records and mobile tower locations to the excise wing without delay. This new approach was finalised during a meeting chaired by ADGP Manoj Abraham and Excise Commissioner Mahipal Yadav.

As a first step, the excise department will provide the police with a list of 997 habitual offenders involved in drug trafficking. This initiative aims to place these individuals under strict surveillance and prevent repeat offences.

In addition, both departments will exchange details of narcotics-related cases they have registered. This will enable the integration of cases having a similar nature and facilitate the application of the Kerala Anti-Social Activities (Prevention) Act (KAAPA) and the Prevention of Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (PITNDPS Act). This measure allows habitual offenders who previously escaped preventive custody due to fewer cases against them to be effectively tracked and detained.

Surveillance in homes, too
The excise department’s offender list includes 497 individuals involved in narcotics trafficking and 500 accused under the Abkari Act. These offenders will be closely monitored, and surveillance criteria will be based on their involvement in similar cases.

Excise officials will visit the residences of those on the list once a week to assess whether they are engaging in drug-related activities again. The list of habitual offenders will be updated based on new cases registered, serving as an equivalent to the police’s Known Depredator (KD) list. A person’s name will be removed from the list only upon their death.