Four arrested with MDMA in Thrissur's Kunnamkulam, wanted to sell drug to school kids

Acting on a tip-off, Kunnamkulam police and district anti-narcotics squad arrested four persons, including two women, with methylenedioxymethamphetamine MDMA, commonly known as ecstasy, from a private lodge in Kunnamkulam on Sunday evening. The arrested individuals have been identified as Sherin (29), a native of Alappuzha’s Arthunkal, Surabhi (23), a native of Kollam’s Pattathanam, Anas (26), hailing from Palakkad’s Koottanad, and Shefiq (32), a native of Vavanoor Kottar, Kottar.

According to Kunnamkulam police, the accused brought the drug to sell it to school students in the area. "The accused have been selling drugs at the lodge in Kunnamkulam for two days," a policeman from the station told Republic. 

After medical examination, the accused will be produced before the court. They were nabbed by a police team led by Kunnamkulam sub-inspector Nandakumar, Shakir Ahmed, civil police officer Ravikumar and Johnson along with district anti-narcotics squad members Sarath and Ashish.

The Dubai syndicate behind the rise in drug crime?

In August, the crime branch made a key arrest of PT Antony, known to be a key carrier for the drug cartel linked with an alias, 'Dubai Bhai'. Antony, in his statement to the police, had confessed to duping more than 10 youths to carry narcotics between Kochi and the Middle East. The crime branch has traced phone calls to the Middle East and the name ‘Dubai Bhai’ emerged from his statements. The Gulf-based drug racket allegedly plays a key role in luring youths into the illegal business of drug trafficking and selling the substances in schools. 

"The arrest of Antony gave us crucial leads into an international drug racket working in Kerala," stated a crime branch official who was part of the investigation.

The involvement of Antony and Dubai Bhai in drug smuggling came to light following the conviction of a youth, Jomon, in Kuwait for possession of narcotics. He was convicted for 20 years. Jomon's father, Clitus, had approached Kerala High Court, stating that his son was a victim of criminal conspiracy. After court direction, the crime branch took up the investigation and after five years arrested Antony, who handed over a packet to Jomon in 2018. 

Drug cases on the rise in the state

MDMA trafficking is still on the rise in the state. On Sunday, three youths were arrested from Medical College of Kozhikode for possession of 22gm of MDMA along with their weighing machines. At the same time, in Mangaluru, the central crime branch sleuths nabbed four Keralite drug traffickers from Manjeshwaram with 200gm of MDMA. In another incident, three were arrested from Kollam carrying 4.35gm of MDMA by the Excise Enforcement and anti-narcotics special squad. 

CM urges law enforcement teams to increase vigil over drugs in the state

"During a high-level meeting held with officials in connection with countering drug menace in the state, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan directed school authorities to connect with the Excise department and provide details of drug abuse by children in schools. "Out of 325 cases reported in school, only 183 cases were intimated to the authorities," he noted. He also asked teachers to inform the Excise department in secrecy and ensure counselling for such students. The statement from the chief minister's office stated that drugs were being peddled in 382 educational institutions. 

The Excise department data revealed that in the last seven years, the cases registered in connection with the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act showed a spike of 300 per cent in 2022. The Excise data also revealed the total number of arrests increased by 87.47% between 2016 and 2022. In 2022, 6,031 arrests were confirmed, compared to 2016, when 3,217 arrests were recorded.

No parole for drug convicts

To curtail the illegal act, the state’s jail department has opted for no parole for those convicted of drug-related offences. The state jail department in August this year also passed an order that denies paroles for convicts imprisoned in drug cases. The state brought an amendment to the Kerala Prisons Rules. The jail authorities found that during parole, the convicts were involved in drug trafficking. The amendment, which was earlier applicable to rape and POCSO convicts, was extended by the department to drug convicts to curb the menace. 

Drones used in vigil

In Kozhikode, the Excise stepped up the vigil around eight schools in the district using surveillance drones. Close to 200 cases under the NDPS Act were registered across five-six police stations in Kozhikode in just two months. The drones helped Excise officials find patterns of movement of people during peak hours around schools and round them up based on data. Umesh A, ACP, District Special Branch, told the media that drone cameras are effective in tackling the drug menace. "Multiple cases have been registered in Chevayur, Mavoor, Feroke and Kasaba police station limits,” he said.

PFI connection must be probed, says BJP leader

Sandeep Warrier, state committee member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), demands a thorough probe into narcotics cases and their possible connection to the regrouping of the banned outfit, the Popular Front of India (PFI). "The belt stretching from Pattambi to Kunnamkulam is a stronghold for now-banned PFI. A thorough probe must be done to check whether PFI is raising funds through these illegal means," he insisted.