In one of the biggest drug hauls in the State in recent times, the Ernakulam Rural Police on Saturday arrested two persons with 2kg of MDMA, a premium drug that also goes by the name ‘ecstasy’, worth crores in the international market from near Angamaly.
The arrested are Sivaprasad aka Shyam, 29, of Cherthala, and Aabid, 33, of Taliparambu. A combined team of the rural police and the District Anti-Narcotic Special Action Force (DANSAF) was lying in wait for the accused after the District Police Chief (Ernakulam Rural) K. Karthik received a tip-off about the drug movement.
They were intercepted while smuggling in the drug in a pick-up van from Chennai. The vehicle has also been taken into custody.
The consignment was reportedly for sale in the district. The accused had been operating from a rented house at Kuzhupilly near Munambam.
The rural police have made multiple drug seizures since last year’s lockdown, including nearly 150 kg of ganja smuggled in from Andhra Pradesh in two separate incidents. More than 10 persons were also arrested in connection with the ganja smuggling.
Even 10 grams of MDMA qualifies as commercial quantity entailing severe fine and imprisonment running into 10 to 20 years.
A team led by Additional Superintendent of Police S. Madhusoodanan, DySPs K. Aswakumar and T.S. Sinoj, Sub Inspector K. Ajith, and members of DANSAF team made the arrest.
