HYDERABAD: The Hyderabad Narcotics Enforcement Wing (HNEW), in a joint operation with Masab Tank police, arrested a local MDMA peddler and two sub-peddlers and seized 11 grams of MDMA, along with three mobile phones, a two-wheeler and a four-wheeler, collectively valued at `4.65 lakh.
The main accused was identified as Upputuri Kartheek alias Alex (37), a resident of Pernametta village in Prakasam district of Andhra Pradesh. The two sub-peddlers arrested were Chirumamilla Balaji (32) from Neredmet in Malkajgiri and Tandra Deepak (29) from Jeedimetla village in Medchal district.
Police said the accused operated a structured supply chain, with Kartheek sourcing MDMA in bulk, Balaji redistributing it locally and Deepak selling it further to consumers.
According to police, Kartheek discontinued his studies due to financial constraints and faced repeated business failures. During this period, he began associating with his brother-in-law Balaji and learned how to source MDMA. He allegedly travelled frequently to Bengaluru to procure the drug from absconding suppliers, repackaged it into one-gram sachets and sold it in Hyderabad for profit.