NEED TO CHOKE DRUG ROUTES TO CRIPPLE GANGS, CURB MENACE

THAT Kerala is in the grip of a drug menace is not new. It's the scale and newer methods of distribution that are disturbing.

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While the sharp rise in the number of seizures and cases registered under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act indicates the larger amounts smuggled in, revelations about the new methods adopted by the gangs are matters of concern. Nearly 42,000 NDPS cases have been registered in Kerala in the last one-anda-half years and about 41,500 people, including peddlers and abusers, have been booked. The number of cases jumped from 9,245 in 2019 to 26,619 in 2022 and 30,697 in 2023. As many as 18,342 cases have been booked this year till July 31. While the enforcement agencies attribute the rise to increased detection, it's a fact that a big ch