In a major seizure, the Anti-Narcotic squad of the city police seized around 1.04 kg of Codeine, an opiate valued in the international market at `1 crore per kg, from a drug peddler in the city on Sunday.
Drug peddler Mukesh, 25, of Pillayar Vila, Meletheruvu near Marthandam in Kanyakumari district of Tamil Nadu was nabbed near the Kollam Boat Jetty.
Mukesh’s ‘business’ was based in Valiyathura, Thiruvananthapuram International Airport and Kanyakumari and his major customers are foreign tourists reaching the state. Anti- Narcotic Squad member and East SI G Gopakumar said that the arrest was made following a tip off. The Marthandam native allegedly sourced drugs from major drug rackets based in Chennai and Pondicherry.
According to the statement given by the arrested, the drug was produced in Afghanistan and was smuggled into the state in view of the upcoming tourist season.
The arrested confessed that he was on his way to sell the drug to a person in Alappuzha. “However, the accused did not reveal the identity of the buyer,” police said.
Following the seizure, police informed the Excise Department, who in turn confirmed that the seized drug was codeine, after conducting tests using the drug inspection kit of the Drugs Control Bureau.
It is perhaps the first time Codeine is being seized from the district in recent years.
Police said that they would seek the custody of the arrested for detailed investigation, after producing him before the court.
The arrest was conducted by a police squad led by East CI Sherif, SI G Gopakumar, senior CPOs Jose Prakash, Prasanna Kumar, M S Nadh, CPOs Anan Babu, Krishnakumar, Guruprasad, Harilal and Sajith Sunil.