Kerala Police in a major operation seized 12.10 kilograms of ganja, estimated to be worth more than Rs 10 crore, from a car in Coimbatore.
Three accused, allegedly part of an interstate drug trafficking network, were arrested after police uncovered the larger syndicate several weeks ago, when six people were caught with around 100 grams of MDMA.
The accused have been identified as Jabir Ali and Shaim Akbar of Malappuram and Mohammed Salih of Wayanad.
The operation was carried out by a special team under Malappuram district police chief Chaitra Teresa, comprising Manjeri Inspector T. J. Dilip and the district DANSAF squad.
An investigation into the syndicate revealed that 12.8 kilograms of MDMA had been divided into packets containing between 100 grams and 500 grams each. The packets were allegedly ready to be dropped at different locations from Thiruvananthapuram to Kasaragod and were concealed inside the door panels of an Innova car.
Investigators said the three accused are linked to a larger network operating both within and outside Kerala.
Earlier this week, police raided a private apartment in Manjeri town following a tip-off and arrested six people with around 100 grams of MDMA. Their interrogation led investigators to the larger interstate supply chain.
Further investigation revealed that the network operated through Delhi, Mumbai and Mangalore, where large quantities of MDMA were allegedly stored at secret locations before being transported to Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
The network allegedly used luxury vehicles fitted with concealed compartments to transport the drugs. Coimbatore, Palani and Kodaikanal emerged as transition points, where middlemen allegedly collected the drugs before dropping them at their intended locations.
During the questioning and searches of the vehicles, police found the MDMA concealed inside the door panels.
The drugs are estimated to have a retail value of more than Rs 10 crore in Kerala and Tamil Nadu.