₹1cr heroin bust in Angamaly exposes Myanmar link

Kochi: The investigation into a major heroin seizure in Angamaly on Tuesday has uncovered links to Myanmar, with the Ernakulam Rural Police revealing that the contraband originated there before being trafficked into Kerala through Assam. District Police Chief (Ernakulam Rural) KS Sudarshan said the 609 grams of heroin seized is among the largest heroin busts recorded in Kerala in recent years, with an estimated market value of nearly ₹1 crore.

Acting on confidential intelligence on Tuesday, Rural Police intercepted an Assam-registered car at Angamaly and uncovered what officers described as a sophisticated smuggling operation. The police recovered around 609 grams of heroin concealed inside 47 soapboxes that had been hidden in secret compartments and bags within the vehicle. Three Assam natives - Dildar Hussain (41), Mushtaqin Alam (19), and Khairul Islam (23) - were arrested in connection with the case.

According to the police, the accused procured each box of heroin in Assam for around ₹30,000 and sold it in Kerala for approximately ₹50,000. They also found that the smugglers frequently used interior roads to evade police checks and surveillance.

Speaking to the media at the district police headquarters in Aluva on Wednesday, SP Sudarshan said heroin seizures in the district have already reached 680 grams this year, nearly equalling the total seizures recorded in the whole of last year. He said the crackdown forms part of a larger anti-narcotics drive under which police have registered 475 cases and arrested 588 persons so far this year. Of these, 13 cases involved commercial quantities of narcotics, 24 involved medium quantities, and 168 involved small quantities.

Sudarshan also said that there is a sharp rise in ganja seizures across Ernakulam Rural limits, with officers confiscating nearly 340 kilograms of ganja so far this year. He said the trade increasingly involves migrant worker networks and innovative concealment methods. In one of the most significant cases this year, police seized 62 kilograms of ganja from a luxury car in Angamaly after discovering 31 packets hidden in specially designed compartments beneath the rear seat. In another major operation at Vazhakulam, a migrant worker was arrested with 51 kilograms of ganja stored inside a rented house.

Large-scale ganja recoveries were also reported from several other areas, including Marampilly, where 32 kilograms were seized, Puthenkurish with 30 kilograms, Ayyampuzha with 27 kilograms, Kalady with 21 kilograms, and Mulamthuruthy with 20 kilograms. The police said most of these cases were linked to migrant labour networks operating across the district.

While MDMA seizures have comparatively declined this year - with 765 grams seized against last year’s 1,366 grams - the police expressed concern over the growing involvement of youngsters and the continued supply chain from Bengaluru. The biggest MDMA seizure this year was reported from Angamaly, where police recovered 550 grams of the synthetic drug hidden inside a flask brought from Bengaluru. Two Malayalis were arrested in the case.

Additional MDMA seizures were reported from Paravoor Kavala, where 69 grams were seized, Varapuzha, where police recovered 24 grams and 14 grams in separate cases, and Angamaly, where 19 grams were seized from a native of Kottayam.

Sudarshan said the investigation into the Myanmar-Assam-Kerala heroin trafficking network is intensifying and hinted at further action in the coming days. “A detailed investigation is underway into the drug network linked to yesterday’s seizure,” he said, adding that more arrests are expected as police move to dismantle the wider syndicates operating in the district.