Police in Kerala's Thrissur district have arrested seven people, including two women, after recovering more than 300 grams of MDMA in what investigators describe as a coordinated anti-narcotics operation spanning multiple locations. The seizure, estimated to be worth over ₹15 lakh, emerged from two interconnected cases that began with a routine vehicle inspection and later expanded into a wider probe into the alleged drug supply network.
The operation started on Friday night when officers from the Peechi police station stopped a car for inspection at Vaniyampara. During questioning, police reportedly became suspicious of the behaviour of the four occupants and carried out a detailed search. Officials said they recovered two grams of MDMA allegedly concealed in the private parts of one of the women travelling in the vehicle.
The four arrested in the first case were identified as Shifaz, Vidya, Jishnu and Sreelakshmi. During interrogation, the accused allegedly told investigators they were returning after attending a party at a resort in Muthalamada in neighbouring Palakkad district.
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Investigation leads to larger drug haul
Following the initial arrests, the District Anti-Narcotic Special Action Force joined the investigation. Police claimed that Shifaz had procured the narcotics and subsequently searched his residence under the Pavaratty police station limits, where they allegedly recovered an additional 13 grams of MDMA.
Hindustan Times mentioned that investigators later learned that more drugs had been removed from the house by one of Shifaz's associates before the police search. This led officers to identify Sumesh and two other alleged accomplices, Shabeer P A and Ansad.
Police tracked the suspects and conducted another operation under the Chavakkad police station limits, recovering 288.8 grams of MDMA from an aluminium fabrication workshop at Thaikkad on Saturday. Sumesh was later arrested as part of the same investigation.
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Seven accused remanded to judicial custody
With the latest recovery, the total quantity of MDMA seized in the linked operations reached approximately 308 grams. Police said the combined value of the synthetic drug exceeds ₹15 lakh.
Hindustan Times noted that authorities registered two separate cases at the Peechi and Chavakkad police stations, treating them as part of the same alleged trafficking chain. All seven accused were produced before a local court on Sunday and remanded to judicial custody pending further investigation.
The case comes amid an intensified crackdown on synthetic drug trafficking in Kerala, where law enforcement agencies have increased surveillance and coordinated operations targeting narcotics distribution networks. Investigators are continuing to examine the source of the seized MDMA and whether the accused have links to a larger interstate drug supply chain.
