Thiruvananthapuram, July 10 (IANS) Kerala’s anti-narcotics campaign, Operation Toofan, is set to expand into a coordinated southern states initiative, with police chiefs agreeing to launch a joint crackdown on drug trafficking in association with Central agencies.

Announcing the decision after a meeting of Directors General of Police (DGPs) of the southern states at the Police Headquarters here on Friday, Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala said Kerala’s sustained offensive against the drug mafia had drawn the attention of other states, with several police chiefs expressing interest in adopting a similar coordinated strategy.

As part of the next phase of the campaign, each southern state will appoint a nodal officer of the rank of Superintendent of Police (SP) to facilitate intelligence sharing, monitor inter-state drug movements and coordinate joint enforcement operations.

“The fight against narcotics cannot be confined within state borders. A coordinated regional response is essential to dismantle the networks supplying drugs to Kerala,” Chennithala said.

He said the next phase of Operation Toofan would witness a major joint operation involving Central enforcement agencies and police forces from across southern India, aimed at choking every possible route through which narcotic substances enter the state.

According to the minister, traffickers have increasingly shifted to alternative methods following the intensified enforcement under Operation Toofan.

Apart from conventional transport networks such as buses, trains, flights and boats, drug syndicates are now exploiting courier services and online platforms to move narcotic substances.

The government, he said, is determined to plug every such route as part of its objective of transforming Kerala into a drug-free state.

Chennithala also sounded a note of caution over the growing misuse of prescription medicines.

He said certain medicines, including expensive drugs prescribed for cancer patients, were being illegally procured from medical stores and diverted for substance abuse.

“No medicine should be sold without a valid doctor’s prescription,” he said, urging pharmacy owners to strictly comply with legal requirements and exercise greater vigilance in dispensing scheduled medicines.

The Home Minister said he had already discussed the issue with the Health Minister and indicated that the Home and Health Departments could jointly launch special enforcement drives to prevent the illegal sale and misuse of prescription drugs.

The decisions taken at Friday’s meeting are expected to significantly strengthen inter-state intelligence sharing and coordinated enforcement, reflecting the growing recognition that the battle against narcotics requires a unified response extending well beyond Kerala’s borders.

–IANS

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