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

Excise here arrested an alleged drug dealer with 1,058 kg of suspected marijuana from a residential area at Chakkaraparambu near Vyttila; despite this, he claimed to be intensifying his crackdown on what he called the “immortal” method of smuggling.

West Bengal native Shah Rukh Khan was arrested by a special Excise team led by Circle Inspector Ranjith Kumar for allegedly dropping a suspicious packet of marijuana in a vacant plot near the house number board of a housing society on Tuesday, July 14, 2026, the agency said on Wednesday, July 15, 2026.

According to the Consumption Tax, street vendors who apply the ‘leaving dead’ method leave narcotic substances in certain places and send photographs of important places to their customers.

Authorities said ‘drop-off’ dealers receive payment in advance via digital transfer and leave packages containing drugs in secluded places. “The street vendors then send photos or videos of the exact location to buyers, who then collect the contraband. Common drop-off points include subway poles, numbered parking lots in shopping malls, lampposts in isolated areas, and residential areas with house numbers displayed,” the Tax Office said in a statement.

The ministry claimed that its recent operations had resulted in multiple seizures linked to similar networks. Large consignments of excise drugs include the seizure of 22 kg of suspected narcotics from the house of an accused known as ‘Psycho Sabu’, who allegedly used boats to drop narcotics near river islets, and 18 kg of suspected narcotics from Selvaraj, a Tamil Nadu native, who reportedly dropped packets of drugs near isolated railway track markings, the agency said.