ALAPPUZHA: Reports are claiming that Taslima Sultana aka Christina, who was arrested with hybrid cannabis worth over Rs 2 crore, is a key figure in a major drug trafficking network. A native of Kannur, Taslima had worked as an extra actress and script translator in Tamil cinema. She established close ties with Malayalam film personalities using these connections and later shifted her operations to Kochi. She also appeared in three Malayalam films.

Taslima had also run a massage parlor in Thrikkakara. She again shifted her operations to Tamil Nadu after she was named an accused in a case involving the drugging and sexual abuse of a minor girl. However, she continued her drug dealings in Mangalapuram, Kozhikode, and Kochi. The cannabis consignment seized in Alappuzha, worth Rs 30 lakh, was found to have been sold to a Kozhikode-based individual.

Christina, alias Taslima Sultana (41), residing in Ulakanathapuram, Tiruvallur, Tamil Nadu, and Firoz (26) from Mannancherry, Alappuzha, were arrested in a well-planned Excise Department operation on Tuesday night. Taslima reportedly confessed to supplying drugs to several people, including actors like Sreenath Bhasi and Shine Tom Chacko. Investigators also found financial transaction evidence linking them to drug dealings on Taslima's phone.

Based on a tip-off, a team led by the Alappuzha Excise Deputy Commissioner set up a surveillance operation on Tuesday night. The accused were intercepted near a resort in Omanappuzha while arriving in a car.

Taslima, along with her husband and two children, first arrived in Ernakulam in a rented car and traveled to Mannancherry with her family. After dropping off her husband and children on the way, she picked up Firoz and reached the resort at around 10:30 PM. The seized cannabis was stored in three separate packets in their car. The drugs included Cannabis Sinsemilla and Cannabis Sativa, which are known for their intense psychoactive effects lasting for several hours. While regular cannabis is sold for around Rs 300 per gram, these high-potency varieties can fetch up to Rs 10,000 per gram in the black market.