The Excise department arrested two youths with alleged possession of 3 grams of synthetic drug MDMA from a hotel in the city on Sunday.
The accused were identified as Akash, 22, of Sasthamangalam and Vishnu, 26, of Uliyakovil in Kollam. They were nabbed from the hotel in Pattom by a team led by Thiruvananthapuram Excise range inspector V.G. Sunil Kumar on Saturday evening on the basis of a tip-off. The seized substances are estimated to be worth nearly ₹30,000 in the black market. Akash’s car was also confiscated in the operation.
According to the officer, the duo has been operating as suppliers of narcotic substances from the hotel for nearly a month. They are suspected to have been residing in various hotels in the city over the last few months to evade suspicion. The gang used to supply such contraband to school and college students after sourcing them from Bengaluru.
“The duo used to have narcotic substances delivered to them in parcels that contained smart watches and mobile phones,” Mr. Kumar said.
A third member of the gang, who apparently has gone to Bengaluru to receive another ‘load’ has gone incommunicado after hearing news of the arrests of his accomplices.
The officer said Vishnu had left his house a month ago after claiming to have found a job in the Middle East. His family realised their folly after receiving a call from Excise officials to inform of his arrest.
