MDMA seizure: Accused transported drugs regularly

KOCHI: The seizure of 400g of MDMA, which was sent via courier from Maharashtra in two separate incidents, is just the tip of the iceberg as the police have found the accused in one case had used the same techniques earlier to transport the drug.

Ajmal, 24, of Chengamanad, is accused of smuggling in 200g of MDMA which costs Rs 20 lakh, 3.89g of hashish oil and three LSD stamps. The drug was concealed in a bluetooth speaker that was dispatched from the address of one Rahul in Mumbai.The investigation team found the accused had smuggled in MDMA to Kerala via courier on several occasions.

“We inspected different courier services. It was shocking to find that Ajmal used the same technique earlier and brought MDMA to the state more than five times. We are collecting details from other courier services to find out how long he has been involved in this,” said an officer.

The police are also probing the role of his friends who are suspected to have worked as middlemen to deliver the drug to the customers.“We have already approached the court seeking custody of the accused. We had discovered that he had a drug trafficking network. We need to identify the role of each person. Most probably, we’ll be able to take him into custody by Friday,” said the officer.

The police suspect that Nigerian and South African nationals are helping the peddlers source the chemical drug.“We have already identified some of the WhatsApp groups that are used for drug trafficking and involvement of foreign nationals,” the officer added.