Excise targets drug peddlers as ‘dead drop’ trend soars in Kochi

The Excise here arrested an alleged drug peddler with 1.058 kg of suspected cannabis from a residential area at Chakkaraparambu near Vyttila even as it claimed to have intensified its crackdown on what it called the “dead drop” trafficking method.

West Bengal native Shah Rukh Khan was arrested by an Excise special squad led by Circle Inspector Ranjith Kumar while allegedly dropping a suspected cannabis parcel in a vacant plot near a residential association’s house number board on Tuesday (July 14, 2026), the agency said on Wednesday (July 15, 2026).

According to the Excise, peddlers engaged in the ‘dead drop’ method leave narcotic substances at specific locations and send photographs of landmarks to their customers.

Officials said dealers engaged in ‘dropping’ collect payment in advance through digital transfers and leave parcels containing narcotics at secluded locations. “The peddlers then send photographs or videos of the exact location to buyers, who later collect the contraband. Common drop points include metro pillars, numbered parking slots at shopping malls, electric poles in isolated areas, and residential areas displaying house numbers,” the Excise said in a release.

The department claimed that its recent operations had resulted in several seizures linked to similar networks. The major Excise drug hauls include the seizure of 22 kg of suspected ganja from the residence of an accused known as ‘Psycho Sabu’ at Vallarpadam who allegedly used boats to drop the narcotic near river islets and 18 kg of the suspected narcotic from Selvaraj, a Tamil Nadu native who reportedly used to drop drug packets near isolated railway track markers, the agency said.