The ancient Lord Shiva Temple at Ernakulam, which traces its origin to the Mahabharata era, faces westward, into the deep ocean, once known as Ratnakara, meaning “trove of gems". This ocean was also known as Sindhu Sagar and is presently known as the Arabian Sea. From time immemorial, plundering pirates, proselytisers, explorers, travellers, traders, and merchants from distant Europe, Arabia, and China have been drawn to this land by its panoramic beauty and wealth. India’s first Finance Minister, Mr RK Shanmukham Chetty (1947-48), famously dubbed Kochi the ‘Queen of the Arabian Sea’. Sadly, the passage of time has witnessed the city’s degradation into a hub for narcotic drugs of all kinds.

Over 2,000 cases filed under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act by the Ernakulam Rural Police in 2024 alone illustrate the gravity of the challenge facing the city. In 2024, Kerala witnessed seizures of 24 kg of MDMA, 2 kg of heroin, and 4,500 kg of ganja. In 2024-25, Ernakulam recorded the highest number of student drug-related cases.

Kerala registered 27,701 cases under the NDPS Act in 2024, more than three times Punjab’s 9,025 cases, despite Punjab traditionally being considered India’s drug epicentre. Kerala has the highest rate of drug-related cases in India, with 78 cases per lakh people in 2024, compared to Punjab’s 30.

Over the past four years, Kerala registered 87,101 drug-related cases, a 130 per cent increase compared to the previous four-year period. Every district is affected. Thirty murders in the first two months of 2025 were linked to substance abuse – half of all murders in Kerala State.

Alarmingly, data indicates a sharp rise in cases involving minors and first-time users, highlighting the severity of the situation. In just one week of 2025, between 22 February and 1 March, the special task force conducted 2,762 drug busts, arresting 2,854 suspects.

The recreational drug MDMA tops the list of contraband seized in........

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