In one of the largest drug seizures in recent memory, the police seized 318 kg of ganja and arrested five persons at Chappanangadi near Kottakkal on Thursday.
The contraband was being transported from Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh in a mini lorry and a car. The police said there were eight members in the gang, and three of them had escaped.
The arrested are Shaul Hameed, 25, from Areekode; Akbar Ali, 32, from Manjeri; Abdurahman, 34, from Indianoor; Najeeb, 34, from Irumbuzhi, and Mohammed Irshad, 26, from Karipur.
The police waylaid the gang at Chapanangadi following a tip-off. The contraband was brought in eight sacks. While seven of them were hidden under sackfuls of onion in the mini lorry, one was recovered from the car.
The police have begun a hunt for the three members of the gang who are at large.