Thiruvananthapuram | Malayalam superstar Mohanlal has joined the Kerala government's anti-narcotics campaign 'Operation Toofan' as a 'Toofan Warrior', state Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala said on Tuesday.
Announcing the development at a press conference here, Chennithala said the actor formally associated himself with the campaign in Thodupuzha in Idukki district on Monday.
"Mohanlal has joined our project and become a Toofan Warrior," the minister said, adding that the actor has been actively involved in anti-drug awareness efforts for several years.
According to Chennithala, Mohanlal informed him that he has been carrying out an initiative called 'Vishwashanthi', named after his parents, for the past three years as part of efforts to spread awareness against substance abuse.
"He has extended all support to our initiative," the minister said.
Chennithala said more prominent personalities from various sectors, including the film industry, would be roped in in the coming days to strengthen public participation in the anti-drug drive.
He said the campaign is currently being implemented through three tiers -- 'Toofan Strikes', 'Toofan Warriors' and 'Toofan Care' -- aimed at combining enforcement measures with community involvement and rehabilitation efforts.
The minister also said police dogs would be trained to detect narcotic substances and that follow-up operations would be intensified with the assistance of central agencies.
Soon after the UDF government assumed office, the Home Department launched Operation Toofan, a statewide anti-narcotics campaign aimed at curbing the trafficking, sale and consumption of drugs through coordinated enforcement, intelligence-sharing and public participation.
The drive brings together multiple state and central agencies to identify supply chains, dismantle trafficking networks and strengthen preventive measures against substance abuse.
Thiruvananthapuram | Narcotic substances and banned tobacco products worth over Rs 10 crore have been seized and 2,778 people arrested during the first 15 days of the statewide anti-drug crackdown 'Operation Toofan', Kerala Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala said on Tuesday.
The minister said 2,575 cases have been registered so far as part of the operation, which is being jointly carried out by the Kerala police and Excise Department with the support of the Health, Education and other government departments.
Addressing a press conference after an inter-agency coordination meeting at the police headquarters here, Chennithala said the seizures included 1.589 kg of MDMA, 146.490 kg of ganja, 464.045 grams of hashish oil, 350.439 grams of brown sugar, and 141 cannabis plants, besides banned tobacco products, with an estimated value exceeding Rs 10 crore.
Of the total cases registered, 838 involved small quantities of narcotic substances, 78 were medium-quantity cases and 24 involved commercial quantities, he said.
The minister said the operation had also led to the arrest of two foreign nationals in New Delhi and Bengaluru in recent days as part of efforts to trace drug supply chains and sources.
Chennithala said the government has decided to further intensify 'Operation Toofan' with the support and cooperation of various central agencies.
Representatives of the Intelligence Bureau (IB), Central Narcotics Bureau, Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), Customs, Coast Guard and Marine Enforcement, among other agencies, participated in the meeting.
The minister said investigators had already obtained specific information regarding the routes and sources through which narcotic substances were reaching Kerala and that the probe would soon reach the key suppliers behind the trafficking network.
"Future investigations and enforcement activities will make full use of modern scientific and technological tools. A multi-agency digital integration project is being planned in collaboration with central and state agencies to strengthen anti-drug operations and tackle the menace in a more scientific manner," he said.
As part of efforts to prevent the spread of narcotics, police have also been conducting extensive awareness and rehabilitation activities across the state. So far, 1,526 awareness classes and 138 counselling sessions have been organised in various districts, the minister said.
He also announced that the State Intelligence Wing has launched a new initiative, named 'T-INT', aimed at identifying and eliminating the sources of narcotic substances and curbing their spread.
Regular coordination meetings would be held at airports and seaports to strengthen surveillance, while scientific methods would be adopted to improve the effectiveness of anti-drug operations, Chennithala said.
Police dogs would be given specialised training to detect narcotic substances, he added.
The minister further said awareness programmes would be organised in all assembly constituencies on June 26, observed as the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, with the participation of local MLAs.
He asserted that the crackdown would continue until the roots of the drug mafia were eradicated and Kerala was freed from the threat of narcotics.
Soon after the UDF government assumed office, the Home Department announced Operation Toofan, a state-wide anti-narcotics campaign to curb the trafficking, sale and consumption of drugs through coordinated enforcement, intelligence-sharing and public participation.
The drive brings together multiple state and central agencies to identify supply chains, dismantle trafficking networks and strengthen preventive measures against substance abuse.
