Illustration: Satheesh Vellinezhi
The Kerala Police will convene a meeting of film producers, actors and distributors in Kochi on Saturday (April 26, 2025) to address the allegedly pervasive use of narcotic drugs in the entertainment industry.
Manoj Abraham, Additional Director General of Police (ADGP), Law and Order, told The Hindu that synthetic drug abuse plagued numerous celebrities and also lesser-known artistes and technicians hailing from the younger demographic.
Moreover, he noted that heightened narcotic risk has beset the industry. Mr Abraham also flagged the social peril of glamorising drug abuse.
Officials said internal complaint committees (ICC) were mandatory on film sets. They noted that the belated revelations by two women artistes about the alleged harassment and trauma they faced from an allegedly drug-impaired co-star underscored the need for such committees to work in close liaison with the law enforcement.
Surprise checks
Meanwhile, the police have tasked District Anti-Narcotic Special Action Force (DANSAF) units to covertly collect actionable intelligence on trafficking networks profiting from supplying narcotics to personalities in the film industry.
They have authorised DANSAF plainclothes squads, including women, to conduct surprise checks in caravans, film sets, and hotels, hosting actors and technicians and green rooms for narcotics. The police would also deploy the latest narcotic field test kits to detect drug impairment.
The police will also check the background of staff serving film sets, including caterers, production assistants, chauffeurs and bouncers.
Officials said drug peddlers seemed to have found a wealthy and elite clientele in the industry for potent and pricey hybrid ganja and drugs such as “crystal meth.”
The Excise department has summoned various entertainment industry celebrities, including two film actors, several models, and a reality television star, regarding the recent seizure of illegally imported hybrid ganja in Alappuzha.
Officials described “hybrid ganja” confiscated in Alappuzha as a genetically cloned, highly potent strain of cannabis cultivated in controlled environments using advanced hydroponic techniques.
Thailand-Kathmandu trail
The accused in the Alappuzha case had allegedly smuggled the drug from Thailand, where, law enforcement officials said, the narcotic was cultivated at a commercial scale in basements and shut-down industrial facilities.
According to Narcotic Control Bureau (NCB) sources, the drug mostly found its way into India via land routes from Kathmandu, a “transit point” for hybrid ganja often smuggled concealed in confectionary parcels from Bangkok.
The drug reached traffickers in Goa and Bengaluru in Karnataka, from where a portion of the narcotics reached a niche clientele in Kerala. Recently, the Excise department had arrested a film stunt artiste in Thiruvananthapuram for smuggling alleged hybrid ganja from Thailand.
Courier route
Notably, the Customs in Kerala had interdicted a few consignments of hybrid ganja smuggled through airports concealed in food packets.
It has also confiscated a ganja parcel sent to an address in Kerala via the International Air Parcels in Kochi.
Published – April 25, 2025 01:29 pm IST