Kalpetta: In a major crackdown on drug trafficking in Kerala, excise officials have arrested Nigerian national Muhammed Jamiyu Abdu Rahim, a key figure in a multi-crore international narcotics network. He was detained at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi after Interpol issued a lookout notice at the request of central investigation agencies.

Based in Bengaluru, Rahim had allegedly been the principal supplier of narcotics to several major drug peddlers arrested recently by the Wayanad Excise Department. Investigators said that during multiple major drug busts, the accused were found to be in frequent contact with him, and large sums of money had reportedly been transferred to his accounts.

Rahim had been under the surveillance of the Special Investigation Team of the Excise Department, led by the Assistant Excise Commissioner, for the past several months. When the team initially reached New Delhi to arrest him, Rahim, sensing trouble, fled to Nigeria via Ethiopia.

Wayanad Superintendent of Police Taposh Baumatari coordinated with central agencies and ensured that Interpol issued the lookout notice. With Nigerian police launching a search based on the notice, Rahim escaped to Ethiopia and later attempted to return to India. He was apprehended with the assistance of the Bureau of Immigration upon his arrival at the Delhi airport.

Following special approval from the Bureau of Civil Aviation, Rahim was transported to Kerala by air under the escort of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF).

District Assistant Excise Commissioner Y Prasad, Excise Circle Inspector Sherafudheen T, and Civil Excise Officers Sushad PS., Basil CM, Sreejamol PN, and Sini PM were in the six-member team that executed the airport arrest.

The Wayanad Excise Department had earlier arrested four individuals with links to the international drug cartel. A Bengaluru-based drug network associated with Rahim is also under investigation, the Excise Assistant Commissioner said in a press statement.

Interrogation has revealed the modus operandi of the racket, which allegedly operated through Addis Ababa Airport in Ethiopia. With close links to the crew of a particular flight, Rahim reportedly travelled twice a month, smuggling drugs into India.

After the lookout notice was issued in Nigeria, Rahim fled to Ethiopia, but when he attempted to enter India, the Excise Department—acting on intelligence inputs monitored by the Intelligence Bureau—moved swiftly to New Delhi and detained him upon arrival.

Produced before the NDPS Special Court, Rahim has been remanded in judicial custody. It is learnt that the Excise Department will seek his custody for further interrogation.