Kerala Police on October 14, 2025, demolished what is touted as the state's largest illegal cannabis plantation, unearthed deep within the dense Attappady forest in Palakkad district. The meticulously concealed farm, nestled at the foothills of Sathyakkallumala, was discovered after a grueling five-hour trek by a joint task force comprising the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS), the district anti-narcotics unit, and Pudur Police.
The raid, triggered by intelligence from Kerala ATS DIG Putta Vimaladitya IPS, exposed approximately 10,000 cannabis plants, each around three months old, sprawling across 60 cents of land—an operation of unprecedented scale in the region.
The authorities swiftly uprooted and destroyed the plants on-site, marking a significant blow to the illegal drug trade that has long plagued the tribal areas of Attappady. Palakkad District Police Chief Ajith Kumar IPS, who oversaw the mission, described it as one of the most substantial cannabis cultivation raids in Kerala’s history. The operation’s success has raised questions about the sophistication of the network behind this plantation, with officials suspecting ties to broader interstate or international drug trafficking rings. Preliminary investigations suggest the farm was strategically located to evade detection, leveraging the forest’s remoteness.
The discovery has sent shockwaves through the state, prompting an intensified probe to identify the masterminds and dismantle their supply chains. Authorities are now analyzing satellite imagery, interviewing local residents, and scrutinizing financial records for clues. The Attappady region, known for its tribal communities and biodiversity, has occasionally been a hotspot for illicit activities, but this scale of cultivation points to organized crime.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has commended the police effort, announcing plans to bolster surveillance and support rehabilitation programs for affected tribal youth potentially exploited in such operations. As the investigation deepens, the raid serves as a stark reminder of the challenges in curbing narcotics, with hopes that it will disrupt the flow of ganja into Kerala’s markets and beyond.
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