Ali, the Chennai-based drug baron wanted in connection with the MDMA seizure in Kochi, is known under another alias in his circle as well as among enforcement agencies.
According to Excise officials, who are in hot-pursuit of Ali, he could be using the name only for Kerala-specific operations. “He is known by a more famous name elsewhere, while his connections penetrate up to the top level, even among the political class. He operates from Triplicane in Chennai, where he is all-powerful, having a mass operational base,” said a senior Excise officer.
The investigation team, which visited the Triplicane locality earlier, also stumbled upon the operations of more drug-pushing rackets in the area. As the officials were not able to trace Ali’s exact location, they are now exploring the option of issuing a lookout circular to prevent him from leaving the country.
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Ali had earlier left for Malaysia soon after his aide Prasanth Kumar was arrested. Though he returned to Chennai a few days later, he has remained under cover ever since, while his two cell phones remain switched off.
Out of field
In the course of investigation, sleuths found that Ali, who had been into drug pushing, was forced to stay out of the field following a few botched operations. However, he resumed activity recently and successfully sent a couple of consignments before another failed effort in Kochi.
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“He is wanted by several anti-narcotic agencies, including the Tamil Nadu Police, and we have been in consultation with all of them,” the officer said.
Earlier, Excise Commissioner Rishi Raj Singh had flown down to Chennai and held a meeting with senior police officers there to facilitate the probe.
Meanwhile, the custody period of Prashant Kumar, who was earlier arrested in connection with the case, ended on Saturday. Subsequently, he was presented before a magistrate and was remanded to judicial custody till November 3.
Meanwhile, the officials are yet to ascertain the origin of the contraband. According to them, a bulk of MDMA, a synthetic drug sold across the continent, is being produced in China, while it is transported to India primarily through Sri Lanka, before being rerouted to West Asia or south Asian countries.
The case pertains to the seizure of MDMA worth ₹200 crore from a courier parcel on September 29. Acting on a tip-off received by A.S. Ranjith, Divisional Deputy Excise Commissioner, Ernakulam, sleuths had held an inspection at a private courier service firm near Shenoys Junction and seized 30 kg of the contraband from a parcel.
The contraband, kept in 64 packets, was wrapped in carbon papers to evade detection during scanning at the airport and concealed inside clothes in eight cartons.