KOCHI: After the seizure of 27kg Methylenedioxymethamphetamine, a psychoactive drug worth Rs 200 crore from a courier firm in Kochi last year, the kingpin of the racket, who had been on the run for a year, was arrested on Sunday.Investigators had issued a look-out notice against Ali, alias Abdul Rahman, a native of Chennai. "He was arrested by the Emigration officials at Tiruchy airport.
The officials recovered 400gm gold from his possession. Later, a team led by Excise Assistant Commissioner Sajith Kumar took the accused, who was handed over to Tiruchy airport Police, into custody," an officer said. It was on September 29, 2018, the Excise Enforcement and Anti-Narcotic Special Squad seized MDMA from a courier parcel.
Acting on a tip-off received from Ernakulam Deputy Excise Commissioner A S Ranjith, the sleuths conducted an inspection at the private courier service firm operating near Shenoys Junction and seized 26.082 kg of contraband. It was kept in eight cartons, concealed under sarees in order to evade detection at the airport.
Investigation revealed that the parcel, bound for Malaysia, was despatched by a firm named J V Export. Earlier, Excise sleuths arrested Prasanth Kumar, a Kannur native residing in Chennai, who attempted to push the contraband to Malaysia via Kochi.