126gm heroin smuggled from Myanmar seized in Kochi, migrant workers arrested

Kochi: In a major drug bust in Perumbavoor, 126 grams of heroin worth over Rs 10 lakh smuggled from Myanmar were seized on Thursday. Four Assam natives were arrested with the contraband.Heroin was found in 10 soap boxes, and sources said that one box sold here for anything between Rs 70,000 and Rs 1 lakh, said police.A special investigation team led by Perumbavoor ASP and Thadiyittaparambu Police arrested Shukur Ali (31), Sabir Hussain (32), Saddam Hussain (37) and Rameez Raj (38), all natives of Nagaon, Assam. The police team intercepted the accused near Chembarakky based on a tip-off received by district police chief M Hemalatha Shukur had been under surveillance for allegedly smuggling heroin, said police. The accused confessed to police that they purchased the heroin in Assam for Rs 30,000 per box. The box was sold here for at least Rs 70,000 and would go up to Rs 1 lakh, said police."Shukur was a key figure in smuggling drugs into Kerala. After arriving in Aluva, he handed over majority of drugs to the other three. He was following them in a separate rickshaw. When caught, he feigned ignorance. However, we had been monitoring him for weeks and had identified that he was the key player," said an officer.Shukur, who previously served a prison sentence for drug-related offences, revealed the drug's origin to police. Saddam Hussain and Sabir Hussain are brothers. The accused mainly targeted migrant workers to sell the drugs."We have been conducting ‘Clean Perumbavoor', a campaign against drug abuse, in the region. It is not a coincidence that we managed to arrest the accused with such a huge quantity. Surveillance and research of weeks went into tracing them and finally arresting them," said Perumbavoor ASP Shakti Singh Arya. Most heroin users don't know about the harmful effects of the drugs, he said. We are planning to conduct awareness campaigns too, he added.Inspector PJ Kuriakose, sub-inspector Unnikrishnan, ASIs KA Noushad and PA Abdul Manaf, senior CPOs Varghese T Venatt, TA Afsal, Benny Isaac, Mahin Shah, KS Anoop, KR Rahul and CPOs KR Vipin and Jose Abraham were involved in the operation.Heroin remains one of the most widely injected opioids, posing a risk of spreading HIV due to unsafe use of needles. The detection of HIV in 10 injecting drug users recently in Malappuram highlights the danger of the drug, which is seeing a considerable rise in Ernakulam district.According to excise department statistics, over 805 grams of heroin were seized in 2024 across the state, and over 50% (441 grams) of the seizure was from Ernakulam district. Heroin reaches the district mainly through migrant labourers. The main source of heroin reaching Ernakulam is Assam. Two Assam natives were arrested on Monday with 21 grams of heroin.Myanmar to Ernakulam: The drug routeHeroin drug was smuggled into the country through Myanmar-Nagaland borderThe accused purchased the drug from Assam and travelled to Ernakulam via trainAfter deboarding at Aluva, they split into two teams and travelled in two autos towards PerumbavoorPolice intercepted them at Chembarakky near Perumbavoor and seized the drugs