1.66 kg of MDMA seized from house in Kerala’s Malappuram

Kerala Police seize 1.66 kg of MDMA from house, exposing international smuggling racket, leading to arrests and investigations.

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.