KOCHI: In a major drug bust, the Kochi city district anti-narcotics special action force (DANSAF), along with the Cheranalloor police, arrested a man with 716g of MDMA valued at several lakhs in Kochi on Sunday. The arrested is Arjun V Nath, a native of Kunnamangalam in Kozhikode. He is believed to be a key link in a drug network that sourced synthetic drugs from New Delhi and distributed them locally, said a source with the Kochi city police.
Acting on a tip-off, the Dansaf team led by narcotics cell assistant commissioner K A Abdul Salam, in coordination with Cheranalloor police, carried out the operation and seized the contraband from two lodges located in Ambalakkadavu area of Cheranalloor and Muleppadam area of Vazhakkala. Police said further investigation was under way to trace wider links in the synthetic drug trade.
The arrested are Anas, 34, of Vattekkunnam in Ernakulam, Febina, 27, of Erattupetta in Kottayam, Jasif, 33, of Pappinisseri in Kannur, and Masudul Biswas, 37, of Murshidabad in West Bengal. The arrests and seizures were also made by a special squad of the Dansaf, in coordination with personnel from the Kalamassery police station, said a source with Kochi city police.
In the operation conducted in Kalamassery, the Dansaf team apprehended Anas and Febina from a hotel room with 2.20g of MDMA and 0.84g of ganja. Based on further investigation, the squad, along with Kalamassery police, arrested Jasif and Masudul — alleged suppliers of the drug — near the Glass Factory area in Kalamassery. A total of 3.89g of MDMA was also seized from them, added the officer.