Kochi: The Fort Kochi police arrested a youth from Kottayam on Tuesday in connection with a drug trafficking case which dates back to August 2024. Arfaz, a native of Vadayar near Thalayolapparambu, was arrested in Muvatupuzha when he arrived to attend the wedding of a close friend. Suspected to be the key middleman in a drug trafficking gang, Arfaz is the seventh person to be arrested in the case. He is an accused in a narcotics case registered by Ernakulam Excise Range Office in 2023.

The police said Arfaz used to operate as a drug middleman in Bengaluru under the cover of running a freelance education consultancy. He used to trap students who approached him seeking admissions to various courses, the police added. Though the Fort Kochi police had gone to Bengaluru to nab Arfaz, he managed to escape. He was arrested from Muvattupuzha based on information that he would come to attend the wedding.

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The police arrested Fort Kochi native Jershone in August last year with 17 gms of MDMA. Mattanchery natives Safeer, Thoufeeq and Irfan, Palluruthy native Tharun and Fort Kochi native Sharon were arrested later in the case. During the investigation, the police found that Irfan used to procure drugs from Bengaluru through Arfaz. The police received information that some African nationals used to frequent Arfaz's flat in Bengaluru. He used to connect drug users with the African suppliers and collect huge amounts from the customers as commission, police said.

Safeer, Irfan and Thoufeeq have been sent to the Thiruvananthapuram Central Jail in preventive custody after being slapped with the Prevention of Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (PITNDPS) Act for their involvement in multiple narcotics cases. Jershone has also been ordered to be placed in preventive custody.

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