THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: After a three-year chase for an accused in a major drug bust case in Thiruvananthapuram, excise officials are set to close the chapter with a flight to Abu Dhabi.
Three excise officials will escort Valiyaveli native Shaun Sunil Bert, the accused who was booked in connection with the seizure of 155kg ganja and 60g MDMA in Thumba, from Abu Dhabi to Keralam.
The incident took place in July 2023, when a large quantity of narcotic substances were seized, and four of his accomplices were nabbed. However, Shaun fled the country before the officials could nab him. Later, in July 2026, he was detained at Abu Dhabi airport after Interpol issued a Red Corner Notice in the case.
According to sources, the excise officers will return by Saturday along with the accused. “Not much formality will be involved in the case, as there is no need for identification whatsoever- the passport serves as the basic document for this. We have been informed that ever since Shaun tried to move out of Abu Dhabi via flight, he had been in police custody,” an excise official said.
Even though he was constantly on the radar of the excise officials, his extradition process was ‘lost in translation’. Over 250 pages of official documents regarding the case had to be translated into Arabic before initiating the extradition, according to the UAE court procedure, which came to a standstill due to a delay in releasing funds for the translation process.