Kasaragod police seize 3.5 kg MDMA from house in one of Kerala’s biggest drug busts

Kasaragod: The Kasaragod police on Friday seized around 3.5 kg of MDMA, a chemical party drug, from a house in Uppala near Manjeshwar. The seizure is one of the biggest hauls in Kerala, police said. Kasaragod District Police Officer Shilpa Dyavaiah called a press conference on Saturday, September 20, to reveal more details about the operation.

Besides MDMA, police reportedly recovered 1 kg of marijuana and drugs in paste and tablet form from the house in Kondevoor, near Uppala in Mangalpady grama panchayat. Police have taken Askar Ali, the owner of the house, into custody. The size of the seizure has led police to suspect that the house was being used as a distribution hub for drugs across Kerala.

The operation was led by Bekal DySP VV Manoj, Kasaragod DySP Sunil Kumar CK and Melparamba Station House Officer – Inspector Santhosh Kumar A. According to reports, the house in Uppala was searched based on the information of a suspect arrested by the Melparamba police in a drugs case.

On August 30, Melparamba police arrested Abdul Raheem alias Ravi with 49.33 gm of MDMA during a vehicle check at Kainoth near Kalnad in Chemnad grama panchayat. Abdul Raheem hails from Mudigere in Chikmagalur district of Karnataka and resides in Kalnad village in Kasaragod.

During his interrogation by DySP Manoj and Inspector Santhosh Kumar, he mentioned the name of Askar Ali of Uppala. When the police team reached Askar Ali’s house in Uppala on Friday, they found the door locked.

The police then called him and asked him to come to his house. In February 2018, the Excise Department, headed by Commissioner Rishi Raj Singh, seized 5 kg of MDMA from Nedumbassery in Kochi. It is believed to be the largest MDMA seizure in Kerala.

The Kasaragod Police seizure is the second largest, police said. The street name for MDMA (3,4-methylenedioxy-methamphetamine) in crystal form is molly, short for molecular, and in pill or tablet form it is called Ecstasy.

Drugs containing MDMA are popular at parties because they provide a six-hour high. It increases heart rate and blood pressure, helps increase energy, and lowers inhibition that can lead to violent crimes and sexual offenses. Users can become addicted if used regularly for a week. After that, it causes depression, anxiety, loss of appetite, sleep disturbances, and loss of interest in sex.

The man-made drug is being manufactured in labs in Goa, Mumbai and Bengaluru, Kerala police officials said. A dose of 120 mg of MDMA is considered high and 150 mg is considered lethal.

Legally, 0.5 grams of psychotropic drugs like MDMA is considered a small quantity. If found guilty, the accused will be liable to imprisonment for up to six months and a fine of up to Rs 10,000 or both.

However, anything above 10 grams of the psychotropic drug is considered commercial quantity, and if convicted, they face a rigorous jail term of 10 to 20 years and a fine of Rs 1 lakh to Rs 2 lakh under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. The police said that this is Askar Ali’s first arrest, and that any possible links with the drug mafia will be thoroughly investigated.