From users to dealers: Women drawn deeper into drug trade in Ernakulam
City police arrested three women with narcotics, while excise department and rural police arrested two women each. The arrests were made from apartments and hotel rooms in Kakkanad, Elamkulam, Pallimukku and Thykoodam. One woman was apprehended from a car in Kalamassery, while two others were caught with ganja in Perumbavoor.
Number of men arrested for drug peddling also did not dip, as over 60 youths were arrested in major drug cases in the past two months in Ernakulam.
Excise special squad inspector K P Pramod said what he observed was that in many cases, women were introduced to the drug by their friends, and it later led to addiction. "After using it for six or seven times, most become hooked on the drug. Then it is like they can't live without it.
It is this addiction that derails the life of our youth. Unless the addict herself or himself decides to get out of it with conviction, it is very difficult to relinquish it once you are trapped," said Pramod.
An excise officer said that one of the women they arrested was an Ernakulam native, and she was introduced to drugs by her ex-husband. "She married her boyfriend at a very young age. He was into drug abuse. After divorce, she turned into drug smuggling to make money. She started to procure drugs in large quantities from Bengaluru and then sell it here," the officer said.
The officer added that she has an 11-year-old daughter, and she used to travel with the girl to avoid detection.
"She had a strong customer base. She used to go to Bengaluru along with the girl after taking money in advance from her customers and then return with the substance. This largely avoided detection. It was the first time that she was caught red-handed," said an officer.
In one of the cases reported last week, the arrested woman was found to be employed at a reputed company, drawing a monthly salary of over Rs 50,000. "She was introduced to drugs by her boyfriend and gradually became addicted," said a senior police officer.
The woman and her friend were arrested with 30 LSD stamps from a hotel room where they were staying for a week, paying Rs 1,500 per day as rent. "They were selling drugs to support their addiction and to maintain an upscale lifestyle," the officer added.
According to officers, many drug peddling rackets intentionally rope in women to avoid immediate detection by law enforcement agencies. Statistics indicate that drug trafficking is once again on the rise after a temporary decline caused by increased police surveillance in the wake of a series of violent crimes. "After the launch of Operation D-Hunt by state police, most peddlers initially went underground. Now, with improved intelligence gathering, we are locating youths holed up in apartments and hotel rooms with narcotics," a police officer said.
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