Drug smuggling has surged in Kerala in recent years, with security agencies spotting a clear shift toward routes through southern India. This came into sharp focus when authorities suspended four prison officials in the state for sneaking narcotics to inmates, highlighting deep-rooted corruption that’s fueling the drug crisis.
Experts point out that the Dawood Ibrahim syndicate, known as the D-syndicate, controls nearly 95 percent of India’s narcotics market. Backed by Pakistan’s ISI intelligence agency, the group once heavily targeted Punjab, where drugs flooded in from across the border. But Indian security forces have cracked down on that pathway, making it less viable.
To keep expanding, the D-syndicate turned its eyes south. They set up modules in Sri Lanka as a key stopover. Drugs from Pakistan now reach Sri Lanka by sea, then slip into India through Kerala’s coastline. Methamphetamine, or meth, tops the list of popular drugs in Kerala, and the syndicate saw the state as the perfect transit hub to supply the rest of the country.
Kerala’s appeal for smugglers makes sense: its long coastline and close ties to international waters make it easy to operate. Haji Salim, a top D-syndicate operative, runs all south India operations from here. Over the past few years, he’s built a strong network rooted in Kerala.
Central agencies often warn about corruption inside the system, which keeps surveillance weak and lets smugglers thrive. Once meth hits Kerala shores from Sri Lanka, it moves inland through borders with Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. Smugglers also use the Andhra Pradesh border for cannabis hauls, sending drugs to India’s northeastern states.
But it doesn’t stop there. Intelligence sources reveal that Kerala-based shipments now reach Thailand and other countries with help from international cartels. Demand for meth in Thailand is sky-high, so the D-syndicate has recruited Nigerians with experience from Goa’s drug scene to handle these global routes.
These aren’t small-time operations. Cartels move massive loads—think the recent bust of meth worth 30,000 crore rupees in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. After that hit, they’ve switched tactics, breaking shipments into smaller batches to dodge detection. They pull out every trick to stay under the radar.
For the ISI, drug trafficking is a lifeline. With Indian agencies dismantling much of their fake currency network, these profits now fund terror activities against India. That’s why cracking down on narcotics smuggling in Kerala and beyond remains a top priority.
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