Kochi’s Excise Department is closing in on a shadowy drug supplier linked to a high-profile bust involving two Malayalam film directors and a third suspect. On April 16, officials raided a flat in the city’s bustling Kadavanthra area, seizing 1.6 grams of hybrid ganja—a potent strain that’s been raising alarms for its strength and spread. Now, armed with fresh leads on the dealer behind the stash, the department’s anti-narcotics squad is roping in the state’s cyber-cell to track the source through a maze of digital breadcrumbs.
The raid, executed with precision by Excise’s enforcement wing, unfolded after a tip-off pointed to a flat where the trio was allegedly holding the contraband. The directors, both young and prominent in Kerala’s film scene, were nabbed alongside a third man, identified as Shalif Muhammad, who authorities say acted as a middleman. The hybrid ganja, known for its high THC content and cultivated for maximum potency, was confiscated in small packets, hinting at a supply chain catering to a niche but growing clientele.
Investigators quickly zeroed in on Muhammad’s role. He’s believed to have been the link to a supplier who’s been peddling the drug across Kochi, a city grappling with a creeping rise in synthetic and hybrid narcotics. The dealer, still at large, is now the prime target. Excise officials, tight-lipped about the supplier’s identity, confirmed they’ve gathered critical details—phone records, transaction logs, and encrypted chats—that could crack the case wide open. But the trail’s gone digital, and that’s where the cyber-cell comes in. Specialists are now scouring online platforms, tracing IP addresses and decoding messages to pinpoint the supplier’s location and network.
The bust has sent ripples through Kerala’s film industry, where the directors’ arrests have sparked whispers about drug use in creative circles. Excise, though, is keeping its focus narrow: dismantle the supply chain. The department’s been ramping up efforts to curb hybrid ganja, which has surged in popularity for its intense effects and compact form, making it easier to smuggle. Last year alone, Kerala reported over 200 narcotics cases involving similar strains, a stat that’s got law enforcement on edge.
The cyber-cell’s involvement marks a shift in strategy. With dealers increasingly using encrypted apps and dark-web marketplaces, traditional stakeouts aren’t cutting it. The squad’s now banking on tech to outsmart the supplier, who officials say could be operating beyond Kochi, possibly even outside Kerala. For now, the three suspects are in custody, facing charges under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act. Their bail hearings are set for next week, but all eyes are on the hunt for the dealer—a ghost in the system who’s got Excise burning the midnight oil.
The flat in Kadavanthra yielded no further contraband, but forensic teams are still combing through evidence. The seized ganja has been sent for lab analysis to confirm its strain and origin. The supplier’s identity remains under wraps, pending the cyber-cell’s findings.