Actor Mohanlal will join Kerala's statewide anti-drug campaign "Operation Toofan", Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala announced on Tuesday.
Speaking after a high-level review meeting with representatives of multiple enforcement agencies, Chennithala said central agencies, including Customs, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), Railway Police, CISF, and the Coast Guard, would participate in the crackdown aimed at curbing drug trafficking and abuse.
Operation Toofan will be implemented in three phases: "Toofan Strike", "Toofan Warriors", and "Toofan Care".
Under "Toofan Strike", enforcement agencies will target drug traffickers and supply networks. "Toofan Warriors" will focus on public awareness campaigns, with Mohanlal joining the initiative. The final phase, "Toofan Care", will concentrate on rehabilitation and treatment of drug users.
Chennithala said the first 15 days of the operation had yielded significant results. Authorities seized narcotics worth around Rs 10 crore, registered 2,575 cases, and arrested 2,778 people across the state. Police also seized 1.9 kg of MDMA.
"Kerala has four international airports. We want to stop the inflow of drugs through land, water, and airports," the minister said.
He added that discussions during the review meeting focused on preventing the entry of narcotics from outside the state and identifying trafficking networks.
The minister said the excise department's anti-drug initiative, Operation Thunder, would be integrated with Operation Toofan. Additional sniffer dogs would be trained for narcotics detection, while joint inspections would be conducted at Kerala's airports and ports.
Chennithala also warned that authorities would inspect film shooting locations, caravans, and DJ parties for possible drug use.
"No one should think Operation Toofan will be stopped. There will be no hesitation in conducting inspections wherever necessary," he said.
Rejecting allegations that a relative of an accused in a drug case was part of his personal staff, Chennithala described the claims as an attempt to undermine the anti-drug campaign.