THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In the biggest drug haul since the lockdown began, Varkala police have seized 1500 grams of hashish worth Rs 2 crore from a native of Kurakkanni near Varkala.
Jayakumar, who was involved in similar cases in the past, was arrested while trying to peddle drugs among foreign tourists staying at Varkala beach. The police said Jayakumar was running a supermarket and homestay at Varkala and used to sell drugs to foreign and domestic tourists at exorbitant rates.
He was involved in drug peddling for the last 20 years and was arraigned several times under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (NDPS). He was also involved in circulation of fake currency and has a case in this regard.
Varkala station Inspector G Gopakumar said the arrest was made on the basis of a tip off that the police received from a German national, who was Jayakumar's regular customer. Gopakumar said the accused used to sell the drug at Rs 6000 for two grams.
"During the lockdown, a German tourist was found in an inebriated state at Thiruvambady beach here. When we examined him, it was found that he had used an excessive amount of hashish. We managed to extract more details about the person who peddled the drug," the Inspector said.
Gopakumar said the accused was on bail after the district court sentenced him for five years in another NDPS case registered in 2004. "He served two years in prison and got bail after filing an appeal," the Inspector added. Police sources, meanwhile, added that Jayakumar used to purchase hashish from Goa through his contacts for Rs 5 lakh per kilo.
After smuggling it back, he sold it in small quantities among foreigners and tourists from other states for a whopping Rs 30 lakh. "To avoid suspicion and unwanted haggling, he seldom sold the drugs to locals and tourists from Kerala," the sources added. The arrest was made on Tuesday morning when he reached the beach seeking customers.