Thiruvananthapuram, Keralam has constituted an Anti-Narcotics Investigation Team to strengthen the ongoing anti-drug drive, Operation Toofan, Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala said on Friday.
Each unit would comprise a deputy superintendent of police, two circle inspectors, two SIs, 10 civil police officers, an assistant civil police officer and an assistant SI, he said. As part of Operation Toofan, 10,918 cases have been registered and 11,776 people arrested in the state so far, Chennithala said, adding that the figures were recorded till 10 am on Friday. He said the seizures comprised 23.925 kg of MDMA, 1,457 kg of cannabis, 5.32 grams of hashish oil, 707 grams of brown sugar, 530 grams of heroin, 27.6 grams of cocaine and 2,398 cannabis plants.
Addressing a press conference here, Chennithala said the new team would investigate high-value drug cases having interstate and international links and would function through three units based in Thiruvananthapuram, Ernakulam and Kozhikode. A government order has been issued in this regard, and the new team began functioning, he said. The team has been constituted as part of efforts to intensify Operation Toofan, the minister said. Inspector General Putta Vimaladitya, the nodal officer of Operation Toofan, would head the new investigation team, he said.
