Operation Toofan, the State government’s campaign against the drug mafia, has turned into a major people’s movement, with public participation on a scale comparable to that of the literacy campaign, Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala has said.

He was speaking after inaugurating a senior citizens’ meeting organised by the Kozhikode Rural police at the Vadakara Municipal Town Hall on Monday (August 31).

The Minister said people were voluntarily joining the fight against drugs without any specific invitation or mobilisation, sending a clear message to drug traffickers. Public cooperation with the police had enabled action against drug networks based even on information provided through a single phone call, he added.

As part of Operation Toofan, 10,578 people had been arrested and drugs worth ₹170 crore seized in more than 9,000 cases since the launch of the campaign, the Minister said. The seizures included 21,362.73 grams of MDMA, 1,110.69 kg of ganja, and 523.82 grams of heroin.

He said an investigation into the seizure of 97 grams of MDMA in Malappuram had led to the recovery of 13 kg of MDMA, with an estimated market value of ₹10 crore, in Coimbatore.

Mr. Chennithala said the government and the police had intensified measures to prevent the spread of synthetic drugs and dismantle trafficking networks. He urged the public to remain vigilant and cooperate with the police, particularly to prevent the movement of drugs through border areas such as Mahe.

He said ‘Toofan Care’, launched by the State government, aimed to bring different sections of society under a common network to protect children and senior citizens and create a safer environment for them. Vadakara MLA K.K. Rema presided over the function. Vadakara MP Shafi Parambil declared the new Toofan warriors, while Padma Shri awardee Meenakshi Amma and other prominent personalities received Toofan badges.

The programme was preceded by an anti-drug awareness rally from the Vadakara Cultural Square to the Town Hall. Senior citizens, police personnel, pensioners, residents’ associations, service organisations, and traders’ groups participated in the rally.

Kerala Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala, on Wednesday (July 15, 2026) met Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay and discussed establishing a coordinated mechanism among the five southern States to crack down on drug peddlers and combating the menace of narcotic drugs.

Speaking to reporters at the Secretariat in Chennai, Mr. Chennithala said he had apprised Mr. Vijay of the drug menace across the southern States and briefed him on ‘Operation Toofan’, the Kerala government’s anti-narcotics drive. He said the Kerala government had been successfully implementing ‘Operation Toofan’ for the last 43 days, during which it had arrested more than 6,000 drug peddlers and registered nearly 5,500 cases.

He said the drug menace was one of the biggest issues facing not just a particular State but the entire country. He said he had discussed various aspects of ‘Operation Toofan’ with Mr. Vijay and sought the Tamil Nadu government’s cooperation in nabbing those attempting to traffic narcotic drugs across the Tamil Nadu-Kerala border. He said the Kerala and Tamil Nadu governments would work together to share information and intelligence between their police forces, and thanked Mr. Vijay for his commitment to combating narcotic drugs.

He said he had also recently met Karnataka Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar to seek Karnataka’s participation in the coordinated efforts against the narcotics menace. A coordinated effort by all the southern States would definitely improve the situation, he said.

Invitation for Vijay’s Kerala visit

Further, the Kerala Home Minister said he had invited Mr. Vijay to Kerala. “Our brand ambassador is Mohanlal. So, Mr. Mohanlal and Mr. Vijay, who is the brand ambassador for Tamil Nadu, will be together in Kerala for a big function in August. He assured us that he would come,” Mr. Chennithala said.

He also expressed concern over youngsters, particularly school and college students, being targeted by drug mafias. He said he had urged Mr. Vijay to address students on the need to fight narcotic drugs. He also said ports, airports and trains operating across State borders would be kept under surveillance to prevent drug trafficking.