Mangaluru: In an operation conducted by Mangaluru City Crime Branch (CCB) police, three individuals involved in selling MDMA in the city were arrested, and 1 kg 797g of MDMA valued at approximately Rs 1,58,34,000 was seized from them.Acting on credible intelligence regarding the sale of MDMA targeting the public in Mangaluru, CCB police carried out a raid on at 10pm on Thursday near the national highway in Kumpala, Ullal, apprehending three suspects. Along with MDMA, officers confiscated three mobile phones, a car and an autorickshaw used for transporting the contraband, a courier cardboard box, and a water purifier. The total estimated value of the seized items is Rs 1,63,84,000. A case has been registered at Ullal police station and an investigation is under way.The arrested are Abdul Hafeel,25, a resident of Mangalpady, Kasaragod district, Keralam, Ziyaul Haq,30, from Kasaba Bengre, Kulur and Altaf,28, currently residing at Pandeshwar. Abdul Hafeel was previously booked for a drug consumption case at Ullal police station. Ziyaul Haq was involved in a drug trafficking case in Ras Al Khaimah, UAE, where he served a 3-year prison sentence before returning to India. Meanwhile, Altaf was previously booked for a drug consumption case at Pandeshwar police station.City police commissioner Sudheer Kumar Reddy CH said that the suspect procured MDMA from Amritsar, Punjab, concealed it securely inside the water storage compartment of a water purifier, and sent it to Mangaluru via courier. They had planned to distribute and sell the drugs across various parts of Mangaluru city and Keralam. However, police successfully uncovered the network and thwarted the operation in its initial stage. All three accused will be produced before a court following interrogation, the commissioner said.
