By Suresh Unnithan
Kerala, renowned for its high literacy, advanced healthcare, and natural beauty, is now battling a severe epidemic-drug abuse. As of December 20, 2025, the state recorded the highest per-capita NDPS cases in India, with synthetic drugs infiltrating schools, colleges, and professional spaces. This article details the trends, confiscated drugs (including chemical effects), seizure statistics, and societal fallout, drawing from official data up to late 2025.
Surge in Cases: Record-Breaking Numbers
From 2020 to early 2025, Kerala registered over 87,101 NDPS cases—a 130% jump from the previous four-year period. In 2024, 27,701 cases were filed (78 per lakh population, highest nationally). By July 2025, police alone logged 25,262 cases; excise reached a record 8,622 by August. Arrests from 2020–2024 totalled 93,599.
Yearly trajectory: 4,650 cases (2020), 5,695 (2021)—lower early pandemic years due to restricted enforcement—then exploding to 26,629 (2022), 30,715 (2023), and 27,701 (2024). Seizures represent only a fraction of circulation; recoveries worth over ₹62 crore (2021–mid-2023) suggest a black market worth thousands of crores annually.
Shift to Synthetics: From Plant-Based to Lab-Produced Threats
Post-2021, the market pivoted from traditional cannabis to potent synthetics—easier to conceal and sell digitally.
Conventional Drugs
- Cannabis (Primary active: Δ9-Tetrahydrocannabinol, THC) → Most seized overall and among teens (80% of adolescent use). Seizures: 4,482 kg (2024), 1,680 kg (mid-2025). Hybrid strains (higher THC, often 20–30%) smuggled from Malaysia/Thailand.
- Hashish/Hashish Oil → Concentrated THC resin.
- Heroin/Brown Sugar (Diacetylmorphine) → Semi-synthetic opioid.
- Opium → Minimal.
Smuggled via inter-state routes (Bengaluru, Chennai, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh) and 590-km coastline.
Synthetic Drugs: The Dominant Danger
- MDMA (3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine) → Acts by massively increasing release of serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine while inhibiting reuptake. Users experience intense euphoria, empathy, heightened energy, and sensory enhancement. Acute risks include hyperthermia, dehydration, bruxism (teeth grinding), and potentially fatal serotonin syndrome. Long-term neurotoxicity damages serotonergic neurons, causing chronic depression, anxiety, cognitive deficits, and memory impairment. Seizures surged: ~7.8 kg (2022), 24.3 kg (2024), 8.7 kg (mid-2025).
- Methamphetamine → Extreme dopamine release; psychosis, cardiovascular damage.
- LSD (Lysergic acid diethylamide) → Serotonin receptor agonist; profound hallucinations.
- Misused Prescription Drugs → Nitrazepam, alprazolam, buprenorphine, tramadol, clonazepam, ketamine, etc.
- Cocaine → Occasional.
Innovations include cannabis-laced chocolates (148 kg seized in 2025). Synthetics thrive in urban areas via social media, encrypted apps, dark web, and cryptocurrency.
District-Wise Distribution: Hotspots and Recent Trends
A detailed snapshot from October 6–November 20, 2022, reveals stark district variations in cases, arrests, and seizures:
| District | Cases | Arrests | Cannabis (grams) | MDMA (grams) |
| Thiruvananthapuram City | 115 | 119 | 5,153.38 | 19.27 |
| Thiruvananthapuram Rural | 195 | 194 | 1,607.92 | 902.97 |
| Kollam City | 272 | 227 | 801.5 | 98.566 |
| Kollam Rural | 111 | 110 | 8,680.23 | 1.81 |
| Pathanamthitta | 72 | 44 | 791.21 | 15.41 |
| Alappuzha | 343 | 360 | 6.15 | 26.03 |
| Kottayam | 451 | 467 | 95,684.76 | 17.55 |
| Idukki | 146 | 155 | 1,369.46 | 0.5 |
| Ernakulam Rural | 175 | 193 | 9.74 | 0.47 |
| Kochi City | 485 | 518 | 780.60 | 39.93 |
| Thrissur | 74 | 70 | 275 | 0 |
| Thrissur Rural | 191 | 274 | 21,780.57 | 11.27 |
| Palakkad | 113 | 123 | 12,247.2 | 19.52 |
| Malappuram | – | – | 19,469.85 | – |
| Kozhikode | 144 | 168 | 549.19 | 125.08 |
| Kozhikode Rural | 60 | 75 | 1,131 | 0.527 |
| Wayanad | 158 | 182 | 4,271.43 | 109.09 |
| Kannur City | 376 | 374 | 454.47 | 3.95 |
| Kannur Rural | 36 | 45 | 980.51 | 11.03 |
| Kasaragod | 291 | 313 | 23,739.4 | 87.14 |
| Total | 4,169 | 4,423 | 177,238.7 | 1,846.07 |
Kochi City (485 cases) and Kottayam (451) topped the list, with Kottayam seizing the most cannabis (95.68 kg) and Thiruvananthapuram Rural the highest MDMA (902.97 grams).
Recent 2025 data reaffirms Ernakulam as the epicenter: Excise cases till August placed Ernakulam highest (1,105), followed by Kottayam (919), Idukki (851), and Alappuzha (846); Kasaragod lowest (172). Ernakulam Rural police registered over 3,200 cases in the first nine months of 2025. Of 18 drug seizures in educational institutions in 2025 (excise data), 13 occurred in Ernakulam. Every district now exceeds 500 annual cases, indicating statewide penetration.
Minors as young as 10 are involved; 312 students arrested by excise till August 2025. Women comprise ~1.16% of accused (2023–2024), primarily 18–25 years. Teenage girls are targeted online; female professionals (techies, doctors) misuse due to stress.
The Organized Black Market
Kerala’s drug black market is not a loose collection of small-time peddlers but a highly organized, efficient, and adaptive criminal enterprise. Traffickers employ a mix of traditional smuggling, high-speed local distribution, and cutting-edge digital methods to evade detection while maximizing profits. This sophistication allows the market to flourish despite intensified enforcement.
In urban centers like Kochi, Kottayam, and Thiruvananthapuram, rapid door-to-door delivery has become a hallmark of the trade. High-end superbikes—often worth up to ₹15 lakh and provided by the rackets themselves—are used for their speed and maneuverability, allowing couriers to outrun patrols and make quick drops. Folded or fake number plates help evade traffic cameras and checkpoints.
To further reduce suspicion, especially during late-night hours when police vigilance is high, delivery agents frequently operate in pairs: a man and a woman posing as a romantic couple. This disguise exploits societal norms, making them appear as ordinary young lovers on a joyride rather than criminals. Intelligence reports indicate that speed of delivery has turned into a competitive edge, with rival networks vying to fulfill orders fastest—sometimes within 15-30 minutes—turning drug procurement into an “e-commerce-like” experience akin to food delivery apps.
Coastal and Maritime Smuggling
Kerala’s 590-km coastline remains a vulnerable gateway for large-scale imports. Maritime routes from South Asia (including Sri Lanka, Pakistan via intermediate stops), Southeast Asia (Thailand, Malaysia, Myanmar), Africa, and Latin America are increasingly utilized. Drugs often land via fishing boats, dinghies, or larger vessels off remote beaches, then distributed inland.
In 2025, interceptions highlighted this threat: parcels from Thailand via international post, sea routes noted in coastal police bulletins, and links to broader networks (e.g., meth from Pakistan landing in Sri Lanka before Kerala). The state’s inland waterways and proximity to international shipping lanes compound the issue. Despite patrols, limited resources—one primary Coast Guard ship—and vast unguarded stretches allow smugglers to operate with relative impunity.
Inter-state land routes supplement this: cannabis from Andhra Pradesh/Odisha via Karnataka/Tamil Nadu; synthetics precursors from Gujarat/Mumbai ports.
Digital Transactions
The most insidious evolution is the shift to digital platforms, making transactions “faceless” and hard to trace.
- Social Media and Encrypted Apps: Peddlers use Instagram, Telegram, WhatsApp, and Signal to target customers, especially youth. Groups promote drug subculture, with orders placed via chats and locations shared subtly (e.g., landmarks or photos).
- Dark Web Marketplaces: High-level vendors operate on Tor-hidden services, sourcing from international suppliers (e.g., UK for LSD). The 2025 bust of “Ketamelon”—run by a Muvattupuzha engineer—exposed India’s largest darknet syndicate: over 600 consignments of LSD/ketamine shipped nationwide, using tools like TAILS OS for anonymity.
- Cryptocurrency Payments: Privacy coins like Monero (XMR) and stablecoins (USDT) dominate, replacing hawala. Ketamelon held ₹70 lakh in crypto; broader reports note crypto funding narcotics/gold smuggling, evading traditional banking oversight.
This digital layer attracts tech-savvy operators (engineers, IT professionals) and enables pan-India/ international reach while minimizing physical risks.
Overall, this multi-layered organization—combining physical evasion with digital anonymity—explains the market’s resilience and growth, turning Kerala into a consumption hub and transit point.
Early 2025 saw nearly half of murders drug-linked (~30 of 63). Synthetics fuel psychosis, assaults, and sexual offenses. Long-term effects include organ damage, infertility, and overdoses.
Concerns over isolated police complicity (case manipulation) persist, though enforcement efforts like Operation D-Hunt continue.
Kerala’s drug crisis combines entrenched traditional use with explosive synthetic proliferation and a highly adaptive black market. With record cases, Ernakulam leading hotspots, and youth increasingly vulnerable, the state needs intensified enforcement (cyber cells, coastal patrols), dedicated NDPS courts, school-based prevention, and expanded de-addiction facilities. Collective action—from government, civil society, and communities—is essential to reclaim “God’s Own Country” from this shadow.
*Research by Nanditha Subhadra