Shifas A.S., aka Bappu, of Panayappilly, Mattancherry, who works at a wholesale shop in the city, was arrested from his rented apartment in Mattancherry, the department said on Friday (September 11). Excise officials also seized ₹2,90,000, allegedly gained through drug sales, and a mobile phone from the accused.
The youth was nabbed following information gathered by the Excise Intelligence and Investigation Bureau, the agency said. The accused had been under the agency’s radar for the past several weeks. Investigators suspect that he was involved in selling synthetic drugs to IT professionals and college students in different parts of Ernakulam district.
Briefing the media, Excise Deputy Commissioner P.K. Satheesh said that Shifas was suspected to be a wholesale drug dealer in Fort Kochi. The drug is suspected to have been procured from Delhi, he said. “Shifas has not been booked in any other case. Of late, we have noticed a trend where peddlers accept payments only in cash as they are keen to avoid leaving any digital evidence,” he added.
The officer said drug traffickers had been luring female college students by offering free trips to Thailand and using them as drug carriers.
The operation was led by Kochi Excise Circle Inspector Prasanth R.
This is the second major synthetic drug bust by the Excise in Ernakulam in recent weeks. In August, the agency arrested four youths with 281 grams of suspected MDMA in two related cases. A probe is under way into that case by a special investigation team.