Kerala Excise Department to launch State Narcotic Control Bureau for drug investigations

Kozhikode: The Kerala government is set to establish a State Narcotic Control Bureau (State NCB) under the Excise Department in an effort to combat increasingly complex drug-related crimes. The new agency will function as a specialised investigation unit designed to address modern narcotics networks that operate through digital platforms, interstate links, and international connections.

Officials say the move comes after the Excise Department concluded that traditional enforcement methods are no longer sufficient to tackle evolving drug crimes. Recent cases have revealed that many narcotics operations now rely on advanced communication tools, encrypted messaging platforms, and digital financial transactions, making detection and investigation more difficult.

The State NCB will be headed by the Excise Commissioner and will be formed primarily by reallocating existing staff within the department while assigning them additional responsibilities. Authorities believe this approach will allow the bureau to begin functioning without creating a completely new administrative structure.

According to the proposed structure, the bureau will operate from its headquarters in Thiruvananthapuram and will include four key divisions: the Operation Wing, Intelligence Wing, Research and Analysis Wing, and the Cyber Intelligence and Cyber Operations Wing. These units will collectively handle investigations, intelligence gathering, analysis of drug trafficking patterns, and cyber monitoring related to narcotics activities.

The agency will also act as a central coordination point for intelligence sharing with central investigation agencies, state police forces, and neighbouring states. Officials say this collaboration will improve the ability to track cross-border drug networks and ensure faster information exchange during investigations.

Another major responsibility of the State NCB will be to monitor digital spaces where illegal drug trade is increasingly taking place. This includes surveillance of social media platforms, messaging applications, online marketplaces, and even activity on the dark web. Authorities say the bureau will focus on identifying digital trails linked to drug trafficking operations.

In addition, the agency will oversee the collection and preservation of digital evidence during investigations. This will include analysing call data records, online transaction details, and internet protocol (IP) logs to help build stronger cases in court. Officials expect that the new bureau will strengthen enforcement efforts and improve conviction rates in narcotics cases across the state.