Synthetic drugs at wedding parties; supplied by Bengaluru-based mafia: One gram of MDMA charged up to Rs.5,000

ALLEPPEY: The use of synthetic drugs is increasing in the district along with the boom in tourism. Police and Excise have received information that drug mafias are concentrated in some lakeshore resorts. A man was caught the other day with synthetic drugs, which he brought for sale at a wedding party at the resort. Drug dealers are caught at private functions based on tip-offs. In the first four months of this year, around two hundred NDPS (Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act) cases were registered in the district. These include cases involving MDMA, cannabis, and nitrazepam tablets.

Total narcotic cases registered in the district in 2022: 527

Narcotics cases registered from January 1 to April 26, 2023: 193

Increasing MDMA use

The quantity of MDMA seized in the district every year indicates its increased use. In 2021, police found 20 grams of MDMA and excise found 18 grams, but by 2022, the situation changed completely. In the first five months of last year alone, 350 grams of MDMA was seized by police and 47 grams was seized by excise in the district.

Up to 5000 rupees per gram

• A gram of MDMA is sold in the district for Rs 2000 to Rs 5000.
• The mafias operating in Bengaluru are smuggling drugs into the district.
• When the arrested people were interrogated, the roots extended to other states.
• Most of the users of synthetic drugs are youngsters and students.

Unlike in the past, it is evident that the youth and students are increasingly venturing into the world of synthetic drugs instead of alcohol and cannabis. Apart from registering the case and arresting the accused, efforts are also being made to trace the source of the drugs.

- Narcotics wing, Alappuzha