Kerala's War on Drugs: Operation Toofan Nets Over 7,600 Peddlers

For several years, a growing number of Kerala's youth have been caught in the grip of addiction to narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances. The signs of the state edging towards a substance abuse crisis became apparent after the liquor ban a decade ago, but the problem escalated sharply with synthetic drug cartels exploiting digital technologies and social media to stay ahead of law enforcement. While the COVID-19 years of 2020-21 saw a temporary drop in NDPS (Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances) cases, they surged from 5,695 in 2021 to 26,619 in 2022, and further to 36,314 in 2025, alongside large-scale seizures of commercial quantities of contraband. The commercial capital, Ernakulam city, accounted for a substantial number of these cases.

Despite efforts by multiple agencies, success has been limited. The United Democratic Front (UDF) government sought to streamline anti-drug enforcement by launching Operation Toofan in June 2025, with the state police joining forces with police from southern states, central agencies, and the state education, health, and excise departments. The operation focuses on integrated enforcement, public engagement, rehabilitation of victims, and speedy and effective prosecution. As of July 15, the operation has netted over 7,600 drug peddlers in about 7,100 cases, with synthetic drugs forming a significant share of the seizures.

Narcotics cases are often weakened by questionable forensic reliability, a concern that has gained sharp focus during the ongoing campaign. The network of drug cartels is intricately woven, with investigations often catching only the smaller players. Alongside bringing the community on board as "Toofan warriors," the campaign aims to strengthen national intelligence-sharing and coordination systems under the NCORD framework, including the NIDAAN database of arrested narco-offenders. Kerala Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala is meeting chief ministers to solicit joint operations, and states are in the process of assigning nodal officers for close coordination, with a platform in the pipeline.

Since the rackets employ innovative methods to recruit carriers, coordinate, and deliver drugs, Kerala needs to upskill the District Anti-Narcotics Special Action Force (DANSAF) personnel at the front lines to dismantle these networks. Equally important is strengthening cyber forensic capabilities so that neither investigation nor prosecution is found wanting in taking these cases to their logical conclusion. The crippling effects of narcotics on society are manifold, and it is never too late to build a defence against them.