MDMA Smuggling Racket Using Courier Service Busted in Mangaluru; Drugs Worth Rs 1.58 Crore Seized
Mangaluru: The Mangaluru City Crime Branch (CCB) police have busted a suspected drug smuggling racket that allegedly concealed MDMA in a water purifier and transported it to Mangaluru by courier for distribution in Kerala and other areas. Three accused have been arrested, and property worth a total of Rs 1.63 crore, including 1.79696 kg of MDMA, has been seized.
The arrested accused have been identified as Abdul Hafeel (25), a resident of Aneesa Manzil, Baidala, within the Mangalpady post office limits of Kasaragod district, Kerala; Ziawul Haq (30), a resident of P. Bava House, Bengre, Kuloor Kasaba, Mangaluru; and Altaf (28), who resides in Flat No. 201, Ayesha Apartments, Old Kent Road, Pandeshwar, Mangaluru. Altaf’s permanent address is Faisal Nagar, near Siriseeme Nursery, Jalligudde, Bajal village, Mangaluru.
Acting on specific information that the banned narcotic substance MDMA was being sold to the public in Mangaluru city, CCB personnel conducted a raid near DMart at Kumpala in Ullal taluk at around 10 p.m. on October 8 and arrested the accused.
The police seized 1.79696 kg of MDMA, three mobile phones, a Maruti Suzuki Swift car and an autorickshaw allegedly used to transport the drugs, a cardboard courier box and a water purifier. The total value of the seized items is estimated at Rs 1,63,84,000, according to the police. The MDMA alone is valued at approximately Rs 1.58 crore.
According to preliminary investigations, the accused allegedly procured MDMA from Amritsar in Punjab and concealed it securely inside the water storage compartment of a water purifier. The appliance was then sent to Mangaluru by courier. The accused allegedly planned to distribute and sell the drugs in Kerala and various parts of Mangaluru.
The police said they succeeded in detecting and thwarting the alleged smuggling operation at an early stage.
According to the police, Abdul Hafeel was previously booked in a drug consumption-related case at Ullal Police Station. Ziawul Haq had allegedly been involved in a drug trafficking case in Ras Al Khaimah, Dubai, where he served a three-year prison sentence before returning to India. Altaf had also previously been booked in a drug consumption-related case at Pandeshwar Police Station.
The three accused will be interrogated and produced before a court, the police said.
A case has been registered at Ullal Police Station in connection with the seizure, and further investigation is under way.
