KOCHI: Excise officers who on Friday night arrested four persons, including a woman, with 327gm of MDMA near Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium are now looking for the main supplier of the drugs.
During their interrogation, Susimol of Chingavanam, Kottayam; Elroy of Mangattukara, Angamaly; Ajmal of Athani, Kakkanad; and Ameer, of Chengamanad, told officers that the MDMA was supplied by Kollam-based Sachin. They claimed that the drugs were sourced from Himachal Pradesh. Excise Assistant Commissioner T N Sudheer said they are attempting to trace the supplier.
“They revealed the name of Sachin, who they addressed as commander. They claimed that the supplier has business in Himachal Pradesh. But they are not aware of his whereabouts. Their mobile phones did not also throw up any suspicious numbers. Some internet protocol calls were noticed on WhatsApp. We are verifying the numbers. Moreover, their confessions need to be verified. We will file a petition in court seeking their custody on Monday,” said Sudheer.
The arrested persons were produced before the court and remanded to judicial custody. Susimol and Ameer were live-in partners. When they started peddling drugs two years ago, they dealt with small quantities of drugs and ganja, before expanding their operations.
“They procured the drugs for around Rs 1,500 a gram. According to the arrested, the drugs were dropped off at isolated places in Nedumbassery. The money was dealt via UPI. We are also checking their financial transactions,” another excise officer said.
After a nearly week-long surveillance, an excise special squad and intelligence unit intercepted a car carrying the four at Stadium Link Road on Friday night. The MDMA was recovered from several bags. The value of the seizure is estimated to be around Rs 20-25 lakh.