A live-in couple who allegedly smuggled synthetic drug MDMA from Bengaluru into Kerala using menstrual cups, diluted the narcotic with Ajinomoto to maximise profits, and supplied it to night party circuits in Ernakulam and Alappuzha has been arrested by the Ernakulam Division of the Excise Department.

The accused were identified as Mohammed Shafi (29), a native of Kottemuri in Thrikkunnapuzha, Alappuzha, and his live-in partner Saritha, also from Alappuzha.

Excise officials seized 94.032 grams of MDMA, cash and a mobile phone from the accused during the operation.

The arrests were made by officers of the Ernakulam Excise Range Office on the directions of Deputy Excise Commissioner Satheesh P K as part of the ongoing anti-narcotics drive, Operation Thunder.

Excise officials said the investigation also exposed a series of sophisticated concealment methods and a lucrative drug distribution network operating across districts. According to excise sources, the couple had been living together for over four years and allegedly supplied MDMA to customers frequenting nightclubs and private parties in Ernakulam and Alappuzha.

The excise officers said 65.27 g of MDMA was seized from the couple’s rented room at a hotel near Ernakulam South railway station, while another 28.76 g was recovered from a house in Alappuzha, where it had been concealed inside the egg tray of a refrigerator. The total seizure amounted to 94.032 g. The excise team also recovered a mobile phone and 17,770, suspected to be proceeds from drug sales.

Smuggling drugs in menstrual cups
According to excise sources, Saritha was primarily responsible for transporting the drugs from Bengaluru to Kerala. Instead of carrying the narcotics in conventional luggage, she allegedly concealed them inside menstrual cups to evade detection during interstate travel.

“She would pack nearly 100 grams of crystalline MDMA inside a zip-lock pouch, wrap it tightly with black insulation tape, place it inside a menstrual cup, seal it using super glue, and conceal it inside her body while travelling,” an excise officer involved in the investigation said.

He added that smaller quantities, typically between five and ten grams, were stitched inside the padding of her undergarments, making the contraband difficult to detect during routine frisking checks.

The couple allegedly avoided direct train journeys and instead relied on late-night interstate buses to move the drugs into Kerala, believing they were less likely to attract attention from enforcement agencies. They even took multiple buses to avoid suspicion.

According to investigators, the couple purchased around 100 grams of MDMA in Bengaluru for approximately ₹1.15 lakh before bringing it to Kerala.

“To increase their margins, they mixed around 20 grams of Ajinomoto (monosodium glutamate) with every 100 grams of MDMA. Since Ajinomoto is an odourless white powder with a slightly bitter taste, buyers could not easily distinguish it from the narcotic,” an officer said.

The adulterated drug was then sold in smaller consignments of 10 to 15 grams, fetching between ₹3,000 and ₹4,000 per gram. Officials estimate that the couple earned an amount ranging from ₹2.75 lakh to ₹3.5 lakh from each week-long procurement trip.

Excise officers said the latest consignment almost slipped through after the couple encountered an unexpected excise-police joint vehicle inspection near Iritty in Kannur while travelling on a bus from Karnataka towards Thalassery.

Realising that the vehicle was about to be searched, Saritha allegedly got off the bus before it reached the checkpoint and managed to leave the area in another vehicle before eventually reaching Ernakulam, where she waited in the couple’s rented room at a hotel near South Railway Station.

Shafi, who remained on the bus, underwent a physical search. Since no drugs were found on him, he was allowed to continue his journey. After searching unsuccessfully for Saritha in Thalassery for several hours, he later travelled to Ernakulam and joined her at the hotel on Wednesday.

However, by then excise officials had already been tracking the couple’s movements for weeks. Sources said Shafi later handed over part of the consignment to Saritha, who left for Alappuzha to complete a drug sale.

Soon afterwards, Excise Inspector Abhiraj R and his team raided the hotel room and arrested Shafi, recovering 65.27 grams of MDMA. Believing the remaining contraband was with Saritha, the team immediately travelled to Alappuzha. She was traced by around 10.30 pm on Wednesday, and a subsequent search of the house led to the recovery of 28.76 grams of MDMA hidden inside the refrigerator’s egg tray.

Excise officers said Shafi already faces two NDPS cases registered in Alappuzha. The investigation also uncovered another alleged fraud operated by the couple. Officers claimed that about two months ago, when the excise raided their rented room based on intelligence inputs, they found packets containing crushed rock salt made to resemble MDMA crystals.

According to investigators, the duo allegedly cheated first-time buyers by advertising drugs online, collecting payment in advance, speeding past customers on a motorcycle, throwing packets of rock salt at them, and fleeing before the victims realised they had been duped.

Excise Deputy Commissioner Satheesh said several regular customers who allegedly purchased drugs from the couple have now been identified and placed under surveillance. Further investigation is underway to trace the interstate supply chain as well as local peddlers linked to the network.

The excise team comprised Preventive Officer (Grade) PG Anoop, Civil Excise Officers Siddharth, S Amal, and Arjun, Woman Civil Excise Officer Princy, and Civil Excise Officer (Driver) Vishnu.