MDMA haul sparks probe into wider drug network

Thiruvananthapuram: District rural police chief K S Sudarshan constituted a special squad to probe the recent incident of a massive MDMA seizure in the district. Four persons were held with MDMA weighing 1.25 Kg and 17 litres of foreign liquor at Navaikulam on July 9.The five-member team is headed by narcotic cell DSP Pradeep K. It also includes Kallambalam station house officer Praiju G. The decision to form the special squad was taken due to the vastness of the crime and the involvement of a larger network behind it.Sanju, 41, alias Saiju of Mavinmoodu at Kallambalam, Nandu, 32, of Njekkad, Unnikrishnan, 39, of Vadasserikonam, and Prameen, 35, of Vadasserikonam are the arrested in the case."This is the first time such a huge quantity of MDMA was seized in the district. The call records of the accused showed that the key accused Sanju is a major supplier of drugs across the state. His links with some actors in the Malayalam film industry were also unearthed. We also found several photos of the accused with the actors, including two prominent actors in the industry, on his mobile phone. He was a frequent flier to the Gulf regions and each time he came back with huge luggage. We think his Gulf travels were part of his smuggling activities," said police.Police said that Sanju was involved in several narcotic cases before also and was operating his drug business secretly from his house. During a raid at his house last year, Sanju unleashed his pet dogs on the police officers.He recently constructed a luxurious home. "His income source has to be verified. We are checking his bank transactions as well," said police.