Kasaragod police seize 3.5kg of MDMA from house in one of Kerala's largest drug busts

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

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

The operation was led by Bekal DySP VV Manoj, Kasaragod DySP Sunil Kumar C K, and Melparamba Station House Officer - Inspector Santhosh Kumar A. According to reports, the house at Uppala was raided based on the information provided by an accused arrested by Melparamba Police in a narcotics case.

On August 30, Melparamba Police arrested Abdul Raheem alias Ravi with 49.33g of MDMA during a vehicle check at Kainoth near Kalnad in Chemnad grama panchayat. Abdul Raheem is a native of Mudigere in Karnataka's Chikmagalur district and a resident of Kalnad village in Kasaragod.

During his questioning by DySP Manoj and Inspector Santhosh Kumar, he dropped the name of Askar Ali of Uppala. On Friday, when the police team arrived at Askar Ali's house in Uppala, they found the door locked.

The police then called him over the phone and asked him to come to his house. In February 2018, the Excise Department, headed by Commissioner Rishi Raj Singh, seized 5kg of MDMA near Nedumbassery in Kochi. It is billed as the biggest MDMA haul in Kerala.

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

Drugs with MDMA are popular in parties because they give a lasting kick for six hours. It increases the heart rate and blood pressure, helps boost energy, and drops inhibition that can lead to violent crimes and sex crimes. Users can become addicts if used regularly for a week. Then, it will trigger depression, anxiety, loss of appetite, sleep disorder, and loss of interest in sex.

The artificial drug is made in labs in Goa, Mumbai, and Bengaluru, said officers of Kerala police. A dose of 120mg of MDMA is considered high, and 150mg is considered fatal.

Legally, 0.5g of psychotropic drugs such as MDMA is considered a small quantity. If convicted, the accused would get a rigorous imprisonment of up to six months and a fine of up to Rs 10,000 or both.

But anything above 10g of the psychotropic drug is considered commercial quantity, and if convicted, they would face rigorous imprisonment between 10 years to 20 years and a fine of Rs 1 lakh to Rs 2 lakh under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. Police stated that this is Askar Ali's first arrest, and any potential links to the drug mafia will be thoroughly investigated.