Drugs increasingly peddled at DJ parties in Kochi, change hands in women's washrooms

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Kochi: Investigation agencies are suspecting that a few disk jockeys were involved in the drug trade at DJ parties held in the city’s luxury hotels.

A few DJs from abroad are currently under surveillance after the Excise and Customs (Preventive) officials raided four upmarket hotels and seized MDMA, a psychoactive drug commonly known as ecstasy, and cannabis on Saturday night. Four people were arrested.

Though officials had planned to raid another party with a foreign national as DJ, it was dropped after the postponement of the event. A search for the DJ went in vain and it has been suspected that the person might have fled the country.

The DJ, who frequented the country on a visiting visa, had organized parties here. The investigators were collecting information about the person. DJs from Bengaluru, besides those from the city, have been under surveillance after the drug bust.

Probe revealed that drugs, including MDMA, from Bengaluru, Chennai, Mumbai and Goa, and foreign countries were couriered into the city. A ‘consignment’ of 100 grams of MDMA, meant for a DJ party in Kochi, was seized in Palakkad recently. The seized quantity would have been sufficient for at least 100 people.

Clandestine groups

Besides parties that are announced and organized over social media, clandestine DJ parties, too, are being held in the city. The guests are normally members of certain secret groups or the persons they nominate. Such measures help the organizers to keep undercover investigators at bay.

A Kochi-based exclusive DJ party group for those in the film industry is also under scanner.

Profitable business

The prospect of selling drugs at exorbitant prices — often 10 times over the normal price — attract peddlers to DJ parties. Their clientele are mostly the rich, who seldom bargain. Additionally, the belief that parties held in star hotels and resorts are raid-proof also encourages peddlers.

It has now revealed that even smaller resorts hold such DJ parties, or chill-out parties, in their halls. The invitation is mostly through social media and dating apps.

Warning to hotels

The excise and customs departments have warned luxury hotels of stringent action if drugs were seized from DJ parties held on their premises.

According to information received, the hotels were not linked to the drug business, but investigators felt a total crackdown would be impossible without their cooperation. Parties were being held based on a deal between the organisers and the hotels.

Hoteliers, meanwhile, distanced themselves from such parties but said their role ended with renting out space and serving food and beverages. They also expressed ignorance of the people attending such parties.

Excise and Customs officials have directed the hotels to inform them of the details of future DJ parties.

Distribution of drugs

It has come to light that drugs mostly changed hands at women’s washrooms. Women were specifically assigned the task of handling the banned substance, possibly to avoid confiscation in case of a raid. Also, the raiding agency won’t have many women officials in the team since most parties were being held late in the night.

Parked cars of guests, too, were often used to peddle drugs, besides rooms booked in their names.

Officials who raided the hotels on Saturday said several participants were under the influence of drugs. The organizers had told them to use the substance rather than keep it on their person. This would have led to the confiscation of small quantities of drugs.

Some others, who had kept the substance with them, threw it away when the raid began. The arrested four, however, kept it with them.

Though new-generation drugs such as MDMA and LSD, a hallucinogen, have been in demand, ganja still has a loyal following. The raids on hotels yielded 50 grams of ganja. Investigation revealed that 75% to 80% pure chemical drugs were distributed at parties.

DJ parties which were also affected by the COVID-19 pandemic became active by January. Excise officials said the parties were held without adhering to the COVID-19 protocol, and halls with a capacity of 100 people had 200 to 300 guests.

Though the guests initially wear masks, they take it off as the party progresses. Hand sanitiser is also mostly discarded. Officials expressed hope that the drug peddling would be hit as the government introduced restrictions on hotels in a bid to check the spread of COVID-19.

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