The organisers of a party scheduled at a hotel in Fort Kochi on Sunday had even threatened the hotel owner of abduction if the disc jokey (DJ) was not allowed to perform, it has emerged.
The Customs (Preventive) Department had alerted the hotel owner about the event and asked him not to allow it. He asked the event manager to call off the party, triggering the threat.
The DJ gave the agencies the slip during raids on alleged rave parties at four premium hotels on Saturday midnight. The entire episode, however, throws light on the nefarious ways of holding rave parties.
“We came to know that the organisers were in a very violent mood when the hotel owner confronted them,” said Customs sources. The authorities said the DJ was known for his psychedelic music.
Officials said the parties were meticulously organised. It was found that a few rooms in the hotel were rented out to drug users.
“Around 10 persons packed into these rooms. This is where hotels have a role to play. They should not allow more than the permitted number of persons in any room,” a Customs official said.
The raids at three hotels led to the recovery of psychotropic substances, including MDMA and certain unidentified pills suspected to be of psychotropic nature and dried ganja. Besides, an apparatus for smoking ganja was recovered from six youths.
The raids followed intelligence received by the Customs Headquarters Preventive Unit that a five-star hotel in Kochi would be hosting a DJ party to be attended by drug peddlers and youths.
Soon, it emerged that three other star hotels would also be conducting DJ parties.
Subsequently, an anti-narcotic search team was formed by officers of Customs (Preventive) and the State Excise Department. Customs sniffer dog Edmond was also brought in from Thiruvananthapuram.
The raids were conducted by 15 officers from the Customs (Preventive) Commissionerate and 25 from the Excise Department.
