Two youngsters were arrested by Excise department as part of Operation Devil Hunt, a special enforcement drive targeting narcotic dealers, especially youngsters who smuggle and use synthetic drugs.
Nandu Krishna, a 22-year-old Chavara resident, and Ananda Vishnu, a 31-year-old Uliyakovi resident, were nabbed after the Excise team tracked a courier containing MDMA to them.
Excise Deputy Commissioner B. Suresh had received a tip-off regarding the arrival of a parcel under suspicious circumstances at a courier company located in Asramam.
On detailed inspection, it was confirmed that the parcel contained narcotics and the officials waited at the courier office for around three hours for the person who booked the parcel. When Nandu Krishna arrived to receive the parcel, he was taken into custody.
On interrogation, it was revealed that that the courier contained 15 gm of MDMA and it was sent from another state for Anantha Vishnu. Later, he too was arrested while waiting near the petrol pump at Marialayam junction, Saktikulangara to receive the parcel.
The MDMA seized from the parcel is worth ₹2 lakh in the market and a case under Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (NDPS) was filed against both. As per the provisions of Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (NDPS), possessing more than 10 grams of MDMA is considered commercial quantity and is punishable with rigorous imprisonment of 10 to 20 years and a fine.
The department had recently recovered 80 grams of MDMA and arrested a person in the biggest synthetic drug bust in Kollam.
