KOCHI: It seems that Kochi has turned into a prominent international route for smuggling of MDMA drugs. According to authorities, the lack of an effective mechanism to scan the courier parcels has made Kochi a best option for the drug peddlers for the transportation of the contraband to the Middle East or other South Asian states. Earlier in 2016, the Kerala Police had urged all courier agencies to install scanners to check parcels and also warned them of being a party in the crime. However, it did not elicit much of a response from the parties concerned.
“The MDMA - a synthetic drug, is being produced in China while it is transported to India primarily through Sri Lanka, before being rerouted to the Middle East or other South Asian states,” an officer told Express.
Despite the surge in the number of cases, enforcement agencies still regard the good old technique of collecting intelligence as the best way to crack drug trafficking through couriers. According to officials, without specific information the seizure of illegal drugs sent through couriers or postal services is impossible.
“Through scanning, you may be able to detect just one out of 100 such packets as the contraband is always concealed inside some low-value goods. The only effective way to check this will be to cultivate a network of informants,’’ said an officer.Meanwhile, the Excise has constituted a special team for the inquiry of the MDMA worth `200 crore seized in Kochi on Saturday.
Mainly, the investigators look on to trace the origin of the drug and its Kochi connection. The preliminary suspicion is the contraband came to Kochi from TN, but the source of the production of the synthetic drug has not been identified.
“The special team, headed by Assistant Excise Commissioner Ashok Kumar T A, has already zeroed in on a couple of persons purportedly linked to the smuggling bid,” said Deputy Excise Commissioner, Ernakulam, A S Ranjith.