Kochi: The Kerala Police and Excise department seized varying quantities of Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), hashish oil and a highly toxic and potent variant of heroin 'China White' from various parts of Kochi in the past two days.

Seven people were arrested in the drug bust that took place in different parts of the city.

While an Assam native, suspected of supplying drugs to rave parties in the city, was caught by Excise officials on Friday with allegedly 30 grams of the highly lethal and potent heroin variant known as 'China White', four youths were arrested by police on Saturday and 18 grams of hashish oil allegedly recovered from them.

Police said the four men were suspected of selling drugs to students and container lorry drivers and were arrested as part of a special investigation in the wake of increasing instances of drug use in the city.

Besides that, police also arrested two men -- one of them a B Tech student -- from Elamakkara area of the city and allegedly seized 3.34 grams of MDMA from them.

Police said these two were suspected of selling drugs to students in Kaloor, Pachalam and Elamakkara areas of the city.

Assam native 'Chotta Mian' key source of supply

Regarding the arrest of the Assam native, an release issued by the Excise department said that officials of its Ernakulam Intelligence Division and the Ernakulam Town Range caught him as part of a joint operation.

The Assam native is suspected of being a top member of a north Indian drug gang and allegedly a supplier of large quantities of synthetic drugs to the southern state, the release said.

Isadul Haque (25), an Assam native and also known as 'Chotta Mian' was arrested from Ernakulam Lissie Junction on Friday night by Excise officials and remanded to judicial custody by a court on the next day, the release said.

It said that Excise officials came to know about him from his assistant, also hailing from another state, who was arrested a week ago by the agency's intelligence division.

The officials waited several days for Haque to return and when he arrived in Ernakulam he was surrounded and arrested from Lissie junction even though he made an attempt to flee, the release said.

During his interrogation, he allegedly revealed that he charged Rs 2,000 for a small packet containing 100 mg of the drug and used to bring large quantities of narcotics to Kerala from Assam's Karimganj area which is close to the international border, it said.

It also said that Excise officials have received information regarding whom all he used to supply drugs in the city and a thorough probe would be conducted into the source of the contraband he was supplying.

Possession of five grams of the lethal drug allegedly seized from him is punishable by rigorous imprisonment of up to 10 years and a fine of Rs 1 lakh, it said.

Furthermore, the drug -- China White -- is highly potent as a few micrograms of it can cause intoxication which lasts for hours and at its continued use can damage the immune system and also affect lung and kidney functions, the release said.

Experts also believe that it can obstruct blood vessels to the brain and cause death in some cases, it said.

(With PTI inputs.)