MALAPPURAM: In a major crackdown on drug trafficking, Karipur police, in association with the District Anti-Narcotic Special Action Force (DANSAF), seized 1,665 grams of MDMA worth over Rs 50 lakh from the house of a Mukkood native.
The raid was conducted based on information that a parcel containing illegal substances had recently arrived at the house from Oman.
The parcel was meant for Ashique P, son of Ummer P, Mullanmadakkal House, Mukkood. The seized MDMA was found stored in 48 packets at his residence.
Ashique was arrested by Mattanchery police on February 5 in connection with a drug peddling case and is currently serving a jail term. While he remained in jail, police conducted a raid today and seized the drugs from his residence.
For the past five years, he has been running a leased supermarket in Oman. Police suspect that during this period, he smuggled large quantities of drugs into Kerala through Kozhikode and Kochi airports. He concealed the drugs in regular food packages to evade detection. Authorities are now investigating other methods he may have used to traffic narcotics into the state.
Malappuram police chief Viswanadh R said that Karipur police would conduct a thorough investigation.
"All aspects of the case will be examined. We will probe Ashique’s modus operandi and identify others involved," he said.
The ease with which large quantities of drugs are being smuggled into Kerala is alarming.
According to police, Ashique had been distributing narcotics across the state. The incident also raises serious concerns about lapses in enforcement at airports and other border checkpoints, highlighting the need for stricter measures to intercept illegal consignments from foreign countries.