Police, excise intensify vigil as drug smuggling registers spike

Squads to carry out surprise inspections, monitor movement of inter-State vehicles

Noticing a spike in the attempts to smuggle in drug and other narcotic substances on rented vehicles with fake numbers, the police and excise have resumed intensive vehicle checking, covering the national and State highways in Kozhikode district. District borders will be covered by separate teams to carry out surprise inspections and monitor the movement of inter-State vehicles. The use of official stickers and logos on the carriers’ vehicle to mislead the checking squads have been brought to the attention of the District Anti-Narcotics Special Action Force. Henceforth, no vehicles will be granted any special privilege in the name of official stickers or logos. Also, there will be efforts to verify the authenticity of such stickers on the spot by contacting the authorities concerned. “In a recently exposed ganja smuggling case, the carriers were found using the official sticker of lawyers on their rented vehicles with fake numbers. Since it is reportedly a new trickery to bypass checking, the squads have been asked to stay alert,” said an official attached to the anti-narcotics squad. He said the various surveillance cameras along the national and State highways would be used to track the movements of such suspected vehicles.