Mangaluru: CCB sleuths of the Mangaluru City Police arrested two alleged drug peddlers and seized 5.1 kg of MDMA worth an estimated Rs 5.2 crore.The accused were intercepted in Bagalkot district while allegedly transporting the narcotics from Delhi to Bengaluru as part of a larger interstate drug supply network.City police commissioner Sudheer Kumar Reddy CH told reporters Thursday that the breakthrough came during the investigation of an earlier case registered at Surathkal police station.On June 25, acting on credible information, Mangaluru CCB raided a house near Kulaigudde Water Tank in Surathkal and arrested Annappa Swamy alias Manu, who was allegedly selling MDMA to the public. Police seized 15.1 grams of MDMA, valued at around Rs 1.5 lakh, from his possession.Following the arrest, CCB investigators launched an operation to identify the suppliers behind the drug network. Based on intelligence gathered during the probe, the team learnt that the suppliers procured MDMA in Delhi and were travelling towards Bengaluru in a car.Acting on this information, the team conducted a raid on July 15 at a lodge on the national highway in Hungund, Bagalkot district, and arrested two accused.The accused are Mohammed Alphaz, 28, from Indabettu village, Belthangady taluk, and Mohammed Mustafa, 28, from Laila village, Ujire, Dakshina Kannada. Police seized 5196gram MDMA, estimated to be worth Rs 5.2 crore, along with bags and mobile phones from their possession.According to police, Alphaz is a repeat offender and has previous narcotics cases registered against him at Konaje police station (2024) and Urwa police station (2026).Preliminary investigation revealed that the accused procured the narcotics from Delhi and used Bengaluru as the distribution hub, supplying MDMA to Dakshina Kannada, Udupi and parts of Kerala.Police suspect that several others are involved in the interstate drug racket. The operation was carried out by officers and personnel of the Mangaluru CCB.
