Thrissur: In a major operation led by the Thrissur City Police Commissioner, Mr. Ankit Ashok, along with the Thrissur City District Anti-Narcotics Squad and the Nedupuzha Police, four individuals were arrested for smuggling 221 kg of marijuana from Orissa for distribution in Thrissur, Ernakulam, Palakkad, and Alappuzha.
The suspects, identified as Alex (41 years old), known as Ali at home Nadayanthiruthi from Thrissur Chiiyaram, Riyasuddin (32 years old), known as Riaz from Arakkal home from Thrissur, Praveenraj (35 years old) from Kotialil from Alappuzha Panavalli, and Jacob alias Chacko (30 years old) from Kannamnpilly home from Iringalakuda Kattur, were arrested by the Thrissur City Anti-Narcotics Force.
The police found the marijuana in a luxury car with Haryana registration, which the suspects were using to transport the drugs to various districts in Kerala. During questioning, it was discovered that the suspects had purchased the ganja from major wholesalers in Orissa and had planned to sell it to middlemen at a markup of over ten times the purchase price.
Among the arrested suspects, Alex from Chiiyaram has a history of criminal activities, including a robbery case in Pathanamthitta Thiruvalla, possession of fake currency in Thrissur East Police Station, possession of ganja in Thrissur Nedupuzha Police Station, and assault in Thrissur Ollur Police Station. He is currently on appeal bail in the Kerala High Court after being sentenced to seven years in the Pathanamthitta Tiruvalla Police Station case.
Similarly, Praveenraj, a native of Alappuzha, who was also arrested, has a record of drug smuggling and assault cases in Palakkad district, Ernakulam district, and Thrissur district. Jacob alias Chacko and Riyasuddin are also accused in assault cases.
The suspects had been using private cars to smuggle the cannabis, but this time they opted for a luxury car with a Haryana registration to avoid suspicion. The police are currently investigating their financial resources, supply chains, and buyers of the drugs at the retail level.
The seizure of 221 kg of ganja is the largest in the history of Thrissur City Police, and the investigation team consisting of several officers played a significant role in the arrest and recovery of the drugs. The team included Thrissur City Assistant Police Commissioner KK Sajeev, Thrissur City DCRB Assistant Police Commissioner K.C. Sethu, Nedupuzha Inspector T.G. Dileep, Nedupuzha Sub-Inspector Anudas.K, Thrissur City Anti-Narcotics SI Maraya N.G. Suvratakumar, P.M.Rafi, K. Gopalakrishnan, Ragesh.P, Senior Civil Police Officers T.V. Jeevan, P.K. Palaniswami, Civil Police Officers Sarath, Ashish, MS Ligesh, KB Vipindas, Nedupuzha Police Station Sub-Inspector PK Balasubramanian, ASI Sunilkumar, Senior Civil Police Officers Pratish Kumar, Sreekumar, Civil Police Officers Srinath, and Vimalkumar.
