Hybrid ganja celeb arrests: Is Kerala a transit hub for East Asia-Middle East drug traffickers?

On April 1, the Kerala Excise Department arrested 43-year-old Tasleema Sultana and 26-year-old Firoz from a resort near Omanapuzha beach in Alappuzha.

In a major operation following over two months of surveillance and preparation, the excise team seized "hybrid ganja" valued at more than ₹1.5 crore in the open market.

Significantly, the arrests uncovered links between the drug network and figures in the Malayalam film industry.

The operation has since triggered wider scrutiny of the ties between drug dealers and personalities from the cinema sector.

Tasleema, also known as Christina, admitted during interrogation that she supplied hybrid ganja to her contacts in the film industry, including actors Shine Tom Chacko and Sreenath Bhasi.

Notably, on April 26, Customs made another bigger seizure of hybrid ganja in Kerala. Shibu A.K., a Malappuram native who was about to board a flight to the UAE from Kochi, was arrested with hybrid ganja worth more than ₹5 crore.

Notably, this ganja was smuggled from Thailand. On April 27, prominent Malayalam filmmakers Khalid Rahman and Ashraf Hamza were nabbed by Excise while using hybrid ganja in another film technician Samir Thahir’s flat. And, on April 28, while the excise was questioning Chacko and Bhasi in the Alapuzha drug haul case, Kerala Police arrested rapper Vedan for possession of ganja at his flat.

What is hybrid ganja?

Hybrid ganja refers to cannabis produced by cross-breeding two or more different strains—typically from the two main types of cannabis plants, Cannabis sativa and Cannabis indica—to create a more potent variety. These hybrids combine the genetics of both Sativa and Indica plants, with their effects varying based on the specific genetic makeup. Some hybrids are Sativa-dominant, while others are Indica-dominant.

Notably, the ganja seized from Shibu was a hydroponic strain, cultivated using a soil-free hydroponic method. These hydroponic varieties are considered more potent and of higher quality, as they receive optimal nutrient delivery during their growth stages.

Sources say that in Kerala, a group of cannabis strains known as "Kush" varieties are commonly seized. "OG Kush" is one notable example—a three-way hybrid cross between Hindu Kush, Lemon Thai, and Chemdawg strains. This Sativa-dominant strain is notorious for producing a potent cerebral euphoria combined with a heavy body high.

According to sources, Kerala is increasingly being used as a transit hub for hybrid ganja trafficked from regions like Thailand to the Gulf countries. “Smuggling into India through its porous borders and redistributing from places like Kerala seems to be a more effective route for traffickers than attempting direct smuggling into the Middle East,” a source said.

Another source added that there are also synthetic cannabinoids—lab-made chemical substances designed to mimic the effects of natural cannabinoids like THC. “These synthetic cannabinoids are often sprayed onto dried plant material, which may not even be cannabis, to create products sold as 'synthetic marijuana',” the source explained.

However, sources in Excise note that cases involving synthetic marijuana are not commonly observed in Kerala.

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