Kerala: 308 grams of MDMA worth ₹15 lakh seized in Thrissur, 7 arrested in major drug bust
In a major anti-narcotics operation, Kerala Police arrested seven people, including two women, and seized 308 grams of MDMA worth over ₹15 lakh in two connected cases in Thrissur district, officials said on Sunday.
The operation began on Friday night when personnel from the Peechi Police Station intercepted a car during a routine vehicle check at Vaniyampara. The suspicious behaviour of the four occupants prompted a detailed search, during which police recovered 2 grams of MDMA concealed in the private parts of one of the women.
The four accused arrested from the vehicle were identified as Shifaz (26) from Kakkassery, Vidya (28) from Nenmeni, Jishnu (27) from Attayoor and Sreelakshmi (20) from Nambazhikad.
Following the recovery, the District Anti-Narcotic Special Action Force (DANSAF) joined the investigation. During questioning, the accused allegedly told police they were returning after attending a party at a resort in Muthalamada in neighbouring Palakkad district.
Investigators later searched Shifaz's residence under the Pavaratty Police Station limits and recovered an additional 13 grams of MDMA. The probe further revealed that more narcotics had allegedly been removed from the house by Shifaz's associate, Sumesh.
Police tracked Sumesh and identified two more suspects—Shabeer P A (37) of Thaikkad and Ansad (33) of Chavakkad. Acting on the leads, Chavakkad Police arrested the duo and recovered 288.8 grams of MDMA from an aluminium fabrication shop in Thaikkad on Saturday.
Sumesh (25) was later arrested, taking the total number of accused in the case to seven.
Officials said a total of 308 grams of MDMA, valued at more than ₹15 lakh, was seized in the two linked cases registered at the Peechi and Chavakkad police stations.
All seven accused were produced before a local court on Sunday and remanded to judicial custody. Police said further investigations are underway to identify the source of the synthetic drug and determine whether a larger trafficking network is involved.
