Coimbatore district police arrested 14 people and seized 7.7kg of ganja, methamphetamine, prescription tablets and banned tobacco products during a large anti-drug operation across 228 locations on Sunday, according to the police. The early-morning raids were carried out in the Karumathampatty and Perur subdivisions as part of efforts to curb the sale, possession, storage and transportation of narcotics and other banned substances.
Around 480 police personnel took part in the operation, with 72 special teams formed to search locations linked to suspected drug peddlers, repeat offenders and people wanted in earlier cases. Police teams conducted searches at 132 locations in the Karumathampatty subdivision and 96 locations in the Perur subdivision.
The operation covered the limits of Kovilpalayam and Chettipalayam police stations under Karumathampatty subdivision, and Madukkarai and KG Chavadi police stations under Perur subdivision. These areas fall within Coimbatore district’s wider urban and peri-urban spread, where police stations handle enforcement across residential settlements, transport routes and expanding development corridors.
Police registered 10 cases linked to ganja and banned tobacco products and arrested 12 suspects during the searches. Two additional people who had been absconding in earlier cases were also arrested, taking the total number of arrests in the operation to 14.
The seizures included 7.702kg of ganja, 2 grams of methamphetamine, 1,000 prescription tablets and 45kg of banned tobacco products. Police also seized five mobile phones, 16 two-wheelers, two sickles and ₹15,000 in cash. The mix of seized items and vehicles formed part of the material taken during the operation, according to the report.
The police said the action was intended to disrupt local networks involved in the distribution and movement of narcotics and banned tobacco products. The operation also focused on people suspected of involvement in earlier cases, reflecting a wider enforcement effort rather than a single-location raid.
Police are investigating possible links to wider drug distribution networks and the involvement of additional people. Further action will depend on the investigation into the cases registered during the operation and the earlier cases involving those arrested after allegedly remaining absconding.
