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The excise enforcement data in Ernakulam for 2022 points to an alarming trend of a rapidly decreasing gap between cases registered under the Excise Act and the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.
The Anti-Narcotics Special Squad, seven excise circle offices and 15 range offices collectively registered 1,180 excise cases and 804 NDPS last year. The gap between the two categories, which was earlier wide in the case of NDPS cases, is now narrowing year on year.
“At this rate, NDPS cases will either match or exceed excise cases in the near future. This is an alarming trend and it is gaining momentum,” R. Jayachandran, Deputy Excise Commissioner, Ernakulam Told.
Although ganja dominates heavily with 279.58 kg of seizures, MDMA, a premium synthetic drug, whose seizures were no more than a few grams a few years ago, was now pegged at 2.31 kg.
Enforcement officials attribute the increase in MDMA to three reasons that override its high price tag. “For one, the benefits outweigh the cost factor for both dealers and consumers alike. Unlike hemp, it is easy to smuggle, handle and consume, making enforcement difficult. It also remains a preferred choice among high net worth individuals who frequent DJ parties. Besides this, the misinformation campaign, especially on campuses, that it helps sleep hours on the eve of the exam to stay alert for hours has also added to its demand,” said an enforcement official. .
Also, there are huge profit margins for quick bucks. For example, ganja brought in for ₹3,000 can be sold for ₹6,000, while in the case of MDMA the margin is more than ten times.
Hemp derivatives such as hashish, heroin and brown sugar have also seen a spurt in demand. Enforcement officials seized 2.68 kg of charas oil, 96.49 gm hashish, 32.09 gm brown sugar and 438.53 gm heroin in 2022.
Interestingly, seizures of nitrazepam, a prescription drug with hypnotic properties, which had reached a six-year high in 2019, came down to just 74.40 grams last year. Apart from this, 22.33 grams of LSD and 1.41 grams of methamphetamine were also seized. The officials also seized 292.40 liters of illicit liquor, 4,211 liters of Indian Made Foreign Liquor, 200.95 liters of Arrack, 8,550 liters of spirit and 761.40 liters of toddy.