Textile trade front for international drug racket busted; three held in Tamil Nadu

The Thrissur Rural police and District Anti-Narcotics Special Action Force (DANSAF) have busted an international synthetic drug trafficking network with the arrest of three alleged key operatives, including two Nigerian nationals, from Tiruppur in Tamil Nadu.

The arrests were made as part of the State government’s anti-narcotics drive, Operation Toofan. The accused have been identified as Kingsley V. Gochukwu, 43, and Amos Ikechukan, 43, both Nigerian nationals, and Tsensali Kikon, 49, a native of Nagaland.

According to the police, the trio were key links in a network that allegedly used a garment export-import company as a front to manufacture and distribute synthetic drugs, particularly MDMA, in Keralam.

The breakthrough came during an investigation into the source of drugs seized from two men at Chalingad in Kaipamangalam on November 12. Minshad, 33, and Shajil, 33, both natives of Perinjanam, were arrested with 34.39 grams of MDMA.

Following directions from Thrissur Range DIG T. Narayanan, a special team was constituted under the leadership of Rural District Police Chief Mohammed Nadeem to trace the supply chain. The investigation led the police to the international network allegedly operating from Tiruppur.

The police said the two men arrested in Kaipamangalam had procured large quantities of MDMA from the accused on several occasions under the guise of garment business transactions before transporting the drugs to Keralam. Investigators are also examining whether the network supplied narcotics to other States.

The trio were tracked down at a hideout in Iduvai Palayam, an isolated locality in Tiruppur. The operation turned tense when the suspects allegedly locked themselves inside a room and flushed drugs and drug-manufacturing equipment down the toilet after detecting the police presence. The team broke open a window to enter the premises and overpower them.

During the operation, other Nigerian nationals in the locality allegedly surrounded the police team in an attempt to free the suspects. The officers managed to secure the arrested persons and withdraw safely at gunpoint, the police said.

The operation was conducted under the supervision of Kodungalloor Dy.SP R. Ratheesh Kumar and Narcotics Cell Dy.SP S. Pradeep. Kaipamangalam Inspector V.V. Vimal and members of the DANSAF team were part of the operation.