MDMA haul: ‘Teacher’ main link between drug peddlers and end users

The agency had arrested Susmitha Philip, also known as ‘Teacher’, aged 40, a native of Pandikudy.
MDMA haul: ‘Teacher’ main link between drug peddlers and end users

KOCHI: The Excise Crime Branch team, probing the seizure of more than 1.1kg of MDMA from a gang at an apartment in Vazhakkala, has found that a Kochi-based woman was the main link between peddlers and end users. The agency had arrested Susmitha Philip, also known as ‘Teacher’, aged 40, a native of Pandikudy.

According to excise sleuths, Susmitha played a key role in the gang’s operations in Kochi. The officials suspect that she also used drugs. “Susmitha maintained a close link with the drug-peddling gang busted on August 19. Her bank account was used by the gang members for the cash transactions needed for buying drugs in bulk from Chennai and Puducherry.

Susmitha was one of the middle agents through which the gang supplied drugs to its customers. She regularly bought drugs from the gang and supplied MDMA for rave parties organised in Kochi. She had also organised and taken part in several rave parties,” an official said.

Excise officials said Susmitha was known as ‘Teacher’ in the circle of drug peddlers. After the arrest of the gang members, Susmitha took custody of the dogs that were used for smuggling drugs from Chennai to Kochi. “She took online tuition for children. She was not a teacher but worked as a part-time non-teaching staff at a school several years ago,” an official said.

Meanwhile, Susmitha was produced before the Ernakulam District Principal Sessions Court following a petition filed by the excise seeking her custody on Tuesday. Though the excise sought her custody for five days, the court granted only three days till 4pm on Thursday.

The Excise Crime Branch team has also approached its counterpart in Tamil Nadu to trace the drug suppliers in Chennai and Puducherry from whom MDMA was procured by the gang. “We have sent an official request to TN excise to assist us in tracing the drug suppliers. We have shared information about the suppliers identified during our investigation,” the official said.

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