Guerrilla support for cultivation suspected

Armed Maoist irregulars could be abetting guerrilla cultivation of marijuana in their pockets of influence in forests in north Kerala, according to State police and Excise intelligence officials.

Recently, Excise enforcers had destroyed cannabis plants in an acre of forest land, near Kadukamon tribal settlement, at Agali in Palakkad.

Excise officials view the discovery of the marijuana farm, arguably the first since 2005 in Kerala, as a portentous development. Improved vigilance due to increased mobile phone penetration in remote areas, reduced forest cover, and greater social awareness were thought to have rid Kerala’s forests of illegal marijuana farms.

However, cannabis cultivation seemed set for a revival in the expansive forested area referred to as the northern tri-junction of the contiguous States of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka.

Guerrilla cultivators'campsite destroyed. Pesticide and fertilizers found. Excise Commissioner's Squad seizes 368 kg of ganja this year. Harvest-ready four-moth-old marijuana plants destroyed Many including Odisha natives, among those held.

Maoist presence here has significantly diminished vigilance, thereby opening large swathes of forest land to illegal drug cultivators.

The Excise Department is considering the use of optical biosensor equipped drones or satellites to locate illegal marijuana plantations amidst dense vegetation.

Maoists have also recruited ganja cultivators from Idukki in Kerala to run cannabis farms in Odisha and Andhra Pradesh. At least 12 of them were languishing in Mohana district sub-jail in Odisha along with several Maoists on drug charges.

Two identified big time growers from Idukki are still at large.

Maoists also claim their cut of profits from the large-scale smuggling of ganja from these farms to Kerala.

Smugglers source the drug chiefly from Raigada, Mohana, Gajapathi districts in Odisha and Karimnagar, Sreekakulam, Vishakhapatanam and Warangal in Andhra Pradesh.

Ganja bought for Rs.1,500 a kg accrues several times its value, often up to Rs.20,000 a kg, when sold wholesale in Kerala. On the street, the drug is sold for exorbitant rates.

Investigators said that Idukki was the destination for contraband marijuana. It reaches there through the Kambam-Theni-Kumali route. A good portion is converted to pricey hashish oil for retail in tourist destinations. Excise Commissioner Anil Xavier is heading the anti-drug drive.