The Greater Chennai Police (GCP) made a significant breakthrough in the fight against drug trafficking by seizing 17kg of methamphetamine worth approximately Rs16 crore from a house in Madhavaram on Monday. The police also arrested 10 individuals, dismantling a major international drug syndicate operating in the region.
The operation began after police received intelligence that members of a drug trafficking gang were planning to stash large quantities of methamphetamine in Chennai, intending to distribute it both within the state and to other countries. Acting swiftly on this information, a special task force was formed under the leadership of Madhavaram Police Station Inspector Bhoobalan, launching an investigation into the syndicate’s operations.
On December 20, the police raided several locations in Madhavaram, where two suspects, Venkatesh and Karthik, were arrested with 1.5kg of methamphetamine. Based on their interrogation, the police were able to identify additional members of the drug trafficking gang.
As the investigation progressed, the police arrested 10 more individuals, including Sultan, Lawrence, Shahul Hameed, Sarathkumar, and Jhansi, who were allegedly involved in the smuggling network. Re-interrogation of Karthik revealed that the methamphetamine had been smuggled into Chennai from Myanmar via Manipur, and was stored in Madhavaram before being distributed to other parts of the city, Tamil Nadu, and even abroad.
The police, acting on this vital information, conducted further raids in Roja Nagar, where they successfully seized the remaining 17kg of methamphetamine. In total, 12 people, including one woman, have been arrested in connection with this international drug syndicate.
Authorities have set up three separate investigative teams to determine whether additional drugs have been stored elsewhere, and further arrests are likely as the investigation continues.
