Drug crackdown: Celebrities face heat as excise tightens screws

Not targeting celebrities, impact amplified when such individuals are involved, says dept

- TOBY ANTONY & ABDUL NAZER M A @Kochi

SENDING a strong signal on its zero-tolerance policy towards drug abuse, excise officials on Monday detained rapper Vedan — Hirandas Murali in real — after seizing cannabis from his flat in Tripunithura. The raid came just a day after filmmakers Khalid Rahman and Ashraf Hamza were detained for possessing hybrid cannabis.

Meanwhile, in Alappuzha, excise officers interrogated actors Sreenath Bhasi and Shine Tom Chacko for nearly 10 hours on the day, following the seizure of three kilograms of hybrid ganja from the district. Palakkad-based model Soumya also appeared for questioning at the excise deputy commissioner's office.