In what is being called the largest MDMA seizure in Kerala in the past three years, excise and police officers intercepted drug traffickers in Palakkad and Kozhikode on Tuesday, recovering a total of 1.6kg of the narcotic and arresting seven individuals.
The first bust occurred in the KSRTC bus station premises in Palakkad early Tuesday morning, where 600 grams of MDMA were seized. Two men from Pattambi, Illias and Fahad Alavi, were arrested in connection with the seized drugs.
Later that day, police officers made a second, major drug seizure at the Walayar toll plaza. During a routine vehicle inspection, authorities found 1 kilogram of MDMA with Deekshith U, a 26-year-old from Nandikkara, Thrissur, who was traveling on a KSRTC bus from Coimbatore to Irinjalakuda. Following his arrest, excise officers raided Deekshith’s residence in Irinjalakuda, uncovering one kilogram of ganja and an additional 10 grams of MDMA.
Deekshith allegedly purchased the MDMA from Bengaluru for Rs 3 lakh, traveling to Coimbatore before attempting to transport it back to Irinjalakuda. He reportedly sold the MDMA at Rs 4,000 to Rs 5,000 per gram. The total seizure of 1.6kg of MDMA makes this operation the largest drug bust reported in Kerala in the past three years, just behind a similar recovery of 1.5kg at Kochi airport.
In a separate incident in Kozhikode, four individuals, including two women, were arrested after police discovered 27 grams of MDMA in their vehicle during a raid. The arrests were made after the anti-narcotics squad and Town Police intercepted the car at Kozhikode Beach late Monday night. The arrested suspects have been identified as Amar P (31) and Vaishnavi M K (27) from Kannur, Wahid T K (38) from Kuttiyadi, and Athira V K (30) from Thalassery.
According to the police, this group had been regularly transporting drugs from Kannur to Kozhikode, delivering them directly to clients. To avoid suspicion, the group included women in the operation. Amar, the main suspect, is a former electronics store manager, while Athira worked in event management.
Both operations were part of the state’s ongoing efforts to crack down on narcotic trafficking under the NDPS Act. Investigations are continuing as authorities work to uncover further details about the network behind these illegal activities.
