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Time of India
3 hours ago
- Time of India
Is Tamil Nadu Losing the War on Drugs? The Surge of Meth and Hydroponic Weed Raises Alarms
Ganja is now just one part of the problem, say police. A decade ago, Tamil Nadu's drug enforcement had one primary target: Ganja. Fields were identified and razed. In Chennai, most bulk consignments trafficked from other states or smuggled in by train were incinerated. Today, that market has splintered and diversified. Methamphetamine is at the forefront. Once a rarity in Tamil Nadu, the stimulant now dominates several high-profile seizures. In one case, 25kg was recovered from a suburban home in Red Hills, packed for redistribution. Earlier this year, officers seized 17.8kg in another bust. You Can Also Check: Chennai AQI | Weather in Chennai | Bank Holidays in Chennai | Public Holidays in Chennai | Gold Rates Today in Chennai | Silver Rates Today in Chennai 'Seizure of such quantities is evidence of a well-structured distribution chain,' says P Aravindhan, zonal director of Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB). 'Meth is either brought in from larger labs in north India or processed locally in makeshift kitchens on Chennai's outskirts.' Also making its way into the city is a new strain of cannabis — hydroponic weed. Unlike traditional ganja grown outdoors, this version is cultivated indoors under artificial light, climate control and using soil-free methods. Flown in through international courier networks, it is mostly sourced from Thailand, Canada and the United States. Chennai airport customs officers recently intercepted 23.5kg of hydroponic cannabis concealed in carton boxes, making it one of the city's largest seizures of imported weed. Another category showing an exponential rise is pharmaceutical tablets. In 2023, Tamil Nadu's enforcement agencies seized nearly 40,000 tablets. In 2024, the number crossed 1.4 lakh. These include opioids such as tramadol, anti-anxiety medication such as alprazolam and sleeping pills such as nitrazepam. Many of these are legally manufactured drugs diverted from medical supply chains or purchased in bulk from grey-market online vendors. The pills are consumed across a wide range of user profiles, from college students to working professionals. Most users order in small batches to avoid detection by avoiding bulk stockpiling. MDMA and LSD, though limited to niche urban circuits, continue to flow into the city in small but consistent quantities. Typically ordered on the dark web, they arrive as powder or blotter tabs. Party circles in Chennai and Coimbatore remain the key consumption zones. 'Ganja is now just one part of the problem,' says Baskaran M, assistant commissioner of the city Anti-Narcotics Intelligence Unit. 'We're not just dealing with one substance anymore, or even a few key players. The real work now is in mapping behaviour, finance, and digital footprints, which is essentially compiling detailed profiles of those arrested for peddling, especially repeat offenders, and tracking spending patterns across apps and digital platforms. The task is less about arresting a peddler with a backpack and more about understanding the logistics chain: from how the drug is sourced, to how it's delivered, to who sustains the demand. Stay updated with the latest local news from your city on Times of India (TOI). Check upcoming bank holidays , public holidays , and current gold rates and silver prices in your area.
Time of India
11-07-2025
- Time of India
Traffickers resort to ‘dead drop' method to transit drugs
Chennai: The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has uncovered a new modus operandi called 'dead drop' adopted by drug traffickers to transit contraband. This method helps them keep their identity discreet and deceive enforcement agencies. The trafficker leaves the contraband in an unsuspected place in a safe manner and shares the GPS location with the receiver. He then reaches the spot and takes the consignment for further transit. "Purchasing synthetic drugs through the darknet is common, but of late, we are coming across traffickers resorting to the 'dead drop'," said NCB Chennai Zone director P Aravindhan. "They use the latest communication mobile applications not to be tracked. Alex Mahalingam (arrested by NCB in April) used one app called Zangi to place orders and to receive GPS locations," he added. Alex was found in possession of 1 kg amphetamine and 2 lakh in cash in Pudukottai. NCB sleuths had followed him since Feb as he was suspected to be involved in another case in which 440 kg ganja was earlier seized in Nagapattinam. You Can Also Check: Chennai AQI | Weather in Chennai | Bank Holidays in Chennai | Public Holidays in Chennai He had multiple smuggling cases pending against him in Velankanni and Keelaiyur. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like La app de IA que está cambiando vidas — ¿por qué de repente está en todas partes? Finanzas y economía Prueba ahora Undo During interrogation, he admitted that the drug in his possession was 'dead dropped' by a trafficker, connected to an inter-state smuggling syndicate who travelled either from Bengaluru or Delhi to Nagapattinam and hid the drug behind bushes on the roadside in Nagapattinam. In 2023, NCB arrested six Nigerian nationals, including three women, in possession of 1 kg of amphetamine, 317 grams of MDMA pills, and 7.5 grams of cocaine. They too were found to be using the 'dead drop' method to transit drugs. The NCB has frozen 28 immovable properties of Alex and family members in Nagapattinam worth 7.8 crore, as financial investigation revealed that they bought assets worth 3.5 crore in 2024 in violation of income tax regulations. This freezing order was confirmed on Thursday by the competent authority. NCB officials said it is one of the biggest attachments of properties of drug traffickers.
Time of India
19-06-2025
- Time of India
Mumbai: Rs 25 crore worth of hydrohonic weed seized at airport; 3 arrested
NEW DELHI: The customs officials at Mumbai international airport seized hydrohonic weed of worth nearly Rs 25 crore on Thursday. Three people have been arrested by the officials. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Hydroponic weed refers to cannabis that is grown without soil, using a nutrient-rich water solution to deliver essential minerals directly to the plant roots. Last month, Air intelligence unit (AIU) officers with the customs department seized 5.25kg of hydroponic weed (ganja) worth Rs 5 crore from a passenger at the Coimbatore airport and arrested a 24-year-old native of Kerala for smuggling the same into the country from Bangkok in Thailand. Trichy Customs (Preventive) Commissionerate on Thursday posted a message on its X handle, stating the AIU officers, in coordination with the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence, nabbed Muhammad Fazil, 24, of Villiappally in Kozhikode district in Kerala, at the Coimbatore airport around 11.30pm on Wednesday with more than 5kg hydroponic ganja based on intelligence inputs from the Directorate General of Analytics and Risk Management in Delhi. He arrived at the airport from Bangkok via Singapore by Scoot Airlines. Unlike regular ganja, hydroponic ganja is cultivated in a controlled atmosphere and is highly potent. Cocktail varieties are known for their different flavours and effects on smokers and were not easily available in India. Narcotics Control Bureau's (NCB) Chennai zone's Director P Aravindhan said, "The tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) content in hydroponic ganja is 30% compared to 3% found in regular ganja smuggled from Andhra Pradesh. It is this content that makes it as potent as cocaine and drives those consuming it to become addictive." However, NCB has not come across the prevalence of hydroponic ganja consumption unlike synthetic drugs such as methamphetamine.
