The Kerala government’s move to establish a State Narcotic Control Bureau (State NCB) under the Excise department is expected to strengthen the State’s fight against the growing drug menace. The plan, according to Excise sources, is to develop a specialised wing to trace and tackle drug related cases, by sparing a section of the force from other duties including licencing and enforcement.
The Cabinet on Tuesday gave its nod for the proposal, and a government order on the decision is expected in a few days.
The State NCB will function from the Excise headquarters with its units in all 14 districts. The plan, sources said, is to redeploy a section of the force to the new wing. The existing Excise Enforcement and Anti-Narcotic Special Squads in districts will be integrated into the new division.
The State NCB will have a cyber wing and divisions for research and analysis and operations.
“Officials with an aptitude for anti-drug operations will be integrated into the NCB division. Though no new post has been created for the purpose as of now, the dedicated anti-narcotic section has the potential for expansion in future with the challenges relating to drug trafficking keeps mounting. The State NCB’s key mandate will be to detect and investigate larger drug trafficking cases, including those with inter-State and international links, in coordination with other agencies” an official said.
The Excise Commissioner will be heading the State NCB too.
Sources with the Narcotics Control Bureau under the Ministry of Home Affairs welcomed the Excise move saying a dedicate wing might improve efficiency in detection of and investigation into drug cases.
“There is already very good cooperation among all agencies involved in anti-drug operations. The agencies, including NCB, DRI, Excise, and the police help one another in operations and data sharing. A special wing is expected to improve the Excise’s investigation efficiency when it comes drug cases,” an NCB officer said.
Sources with the Excise, meanwhile, stressed the need for the required training for members of the proposed new wing to deal with large-scale cases. “Narcotic trafficking these days involves a lot of technology including dark net. The State NCB, once it is established, has to address the gaps in dealing with such cases too,” an Excise officer said.
Published – March 12, 2026 08:52 pm IST
