Police have seized 18 kg of methaqualone, a narcotic substance, which was allegedly being sent to Malaysia. The total value of the seized substance may be around `90 lakh in the international market.
Police said a team of town police, during a vehicle check near Kodiammankoil on Thanjavur-Kumbakonam Road, intercepted a car and searched the vehicle. During the search they found several bags of white powder which weighed 18 kg.
During enquiry, the inmates, Sheik Dawood (42), of Ilayankudi in Sivagangai district, Khalil Rehman (48) of Royappettah in Chennai, Jimma Khan (46), Najmaideen (45), Mydeen (26) all from Chepauk in Chennai, gave different versions about the consignment.
Following this, the team seized the consignment and sent samples of the substance for test.
The test revealed that it was methaqualone, a recreational drug, which comes under the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act 1985. Following this the Thanjavur west police have registered a case under section 8(c) read with 22 (c) of the act and arrested the five inmates of the car.
Based on information given by Sheik Dawood, four others, Lenin Ahamed (51), Mohammed Farooq (28), Peer Mohamed all from Chepauk and Mohammed Rafiq (28) of Thanjavur East Gate were arrested.
J Shankar, DSP, told reporters that the consignment had been received from one Mustafa, a shop keeper in Burma Bazaar at Chennai. “The accused were planning to despatch the same to Malaysia”, the DSP added.