In a massive crackdown on narcotics, the Kerala Police seized 1.66 kg of high-grade MDMA (methylenedioxymethamphetamine) from a house at Ayanikkad near Kondotty in Malappuram district on Monday (March 10, 2025) morning.

The seizure of the synthetic drugs valued at more than ₹70 lakh has exposed a sophisticated smuggling racket allegedly masterminded by 27-year-old Ashique P. Umer, a supermarket owner with international connections in Oman.

The police said Ashique, who was managing a supermarket on lease in Oman for the past five years, was the “wholesale distributor” of MDMA in Mattanchery, Kochi.

Following raids in Mattanchery in January, police arrested six persons, including a woman, for possessing MDMA. Investigations revealed that Ashique was the source of the drugs.

The police arrested Ashique upon his return from Oman on Friday. According to the police, Ashique allegedly smuggled MDMA into the country from Oman by concealing it within food items and flasks shipped via air cargo through Kochi and Karipur airports. The police said he had used carriers too to smuggle in the drugs.

Investigators suspect Ashique was responsible for importing and distributing a substantial quantity of MDMA throughout Kerala in the past several months.

Following interrogation, a joint team of the district anti-narcotics special action force (DANSAF) and the local police searched Ashique’s house at Ayanikkad on Monday morning, resulting in the seizure.

Police and Excise authorities have intensified their hunt for drugs, particularly synthetic drugs like MDMA, in the wake of an alarming incidence of crimes related to drug abuse in Kerala.

The use of MDMA among the youth in Kerala witnessed a spurt in recent times. A 28-year-old man named Shanid Saleem from Ambayathode in Kozhikode district died after he swallowed two packets of MDMA on seeing the police last week.

Until now, Kerala’s MDMA supply chain was found to have been linked to Bengaluru, with recent seizures and arrests shedding light on the extensive smuggling network. However, the seizure from Ashique’s house has revealed an alarming new trajectory in the narcotics trade. It was the first time such a large quantity of MDMA being traced to a Gulf country.

Authorities are investigating the case to uncover the smuggling network linked to Ashique.

According to Excise officials, MDMA sells for a hefty ₹4,000 to ₹5,000 per gram on the black market. Deputy Excise Commissioner Y. Shibu said that they were on high alert and working diligently to catch the key player behind the smuggling operations, particularly in Palakkad district, which shares borders with Tamil Nadu.