In the biggest ever synthetic drug bust in Wayanad, three youths were arrested with 490 grams of MDMA during a vehicle checking drive by the Sulthan Bathery police and the District Anti-Narcotics Special Action Force (DANSAF) at Muthanga on the Kerala-Karnataka border on Tuesday night.
The arrested are Muhammad Midhilaj, 28, of Pulkuzhiyil at Vavad near Koduvally in Kozhikode, Jasim Ali, 26, of Naduvilpeedikayil, and Afthash 29, of Puthiya Veetil at Pallikandy near Sulthan Bathery.
The youths were transporting the contraband, worth around ₹15 lakh, from Bengaluru to Kerala for sale in a car, District Police Chief R. Anand told The Hindu.
When the trio behaved suspiciously, the officials did a thorough search and found the contraband inside the car. It was kept in a yellow cover behind the music system, Mr. Anand said. The police also seized the vehicle, which was rented by Midhilaj from Kozhikode.
During interrogation, the youths confessed that the drug had been procured from Bengaluru and was being taken to Sulthan Bathery for sale among college students in Bathery and Pulpally areas. This is the largest quantity of contraband (MDMA) detected in Wayanad district so far, he added. The trio was arrested under various sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, he added.
According to the NDPS Act, more than 10 grams of MDMA is considered commercial quantity, and its possession is punishable with rigorous imprisonment of 10 to 20 years and fine, Mr. Anand said.
The police team was led by M.A. Santhosh, Station House Officer, and P.D. Roychan, Sub Inspector, Sulthan Bathery.
