Man arrested for bid to smuggle narcotics worth Rs 200 cr

A wanted drug smuggler allegedly having links with an international drug mafia has been arrested by Kerala Excise sleuths in connection with a bid to smuggle narcotics worth Rs 200 crore to Malaysia through Kochi last year, a senior official said here on Tuesday.

A lookout notice was issued against Ali alias Abdul Rahman from Chennai for his alleged role in the bid to smuggle 26.082 kg of ecstasy drug to Malaysia through a private courier service here last year, the Ernakulam Excise Enforcement and Anti-narcotic Special Squad official said.

He is the second accused in the case.

Ali was taken into custody by Immigration officials when he landed at the Tiruchirapalli airport in Tamil Nadu from Malaysia on Sunday (October 6).

The authorities also recovered 400 grams gold from him during a check on the basis of the lookout notice.

Ali was handed over to Tiruchirapally airport police before the Excise sleuths from Kerala took him into custody.

Ali was arrested a year after the seizure of the ecstasy drug worth Rs 200 crore from a parcel during a search of a private courier company office here.

Prasanth Kumar from Kannur district was arrested by the Excise squad soon after the seizure of the drugs.

The psychoactive drug, methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), commonly known as ecstasy was seized following a tip-off received by Ernakulam Deputy Excise Commissioner A S Ranjith last year.

In a bid to evade detection during scanning at the airport, the drugs were kept in eight carton boxes containing saris.