Three arrested in drug-related seizures in Kerala

Kochi: In two separate incidents, police in Kerala arrested three individuals for illegal possession and trafficking of controlled substances.

In Ettumanoor, police arrested Santhosh Mohan, 32, a native of Alappuzha, for the illegal possession of 400 ampoules of prescription drug mephentermine sulphate. The arrest followed a raid earlier this week in which 230 bottles of the drug, each containing 30mg, were seized from Mohan. Police revealed that he ordered the drug through a courier service.

Mephentermine sulphate is a cardiac stimulant and strictly requires a medical prescription for even a single ampoule. "The individual had 400 ampoules in his possession without any valid prescription," said a senior official from the Ettumanoor police station. Investigations also revealed that students and other individuals were purchasing the drug from Mohan. The case was handed over to the drugs control department, and a report was submitted on Sunday.

Meanwhile, in Angamaly, police arrested two individuals – Rinku Digal, 25, and Shalini Bhaliar Singh, 22, both from Kandhamal in Odisha – for smuggling 9.5kg of cannabis. The duo was arrested from a lodge on Sunday based on a tip-off received by Ernakulam district police chief Vaibhav Saxena.

Officials said the accused regularly transported cannabis from Odisha, where they bought it for ₹3,000-5,000 per kg, and sold it in Kerala for ₹10,000-₹20,000 per kg. They were under surveillance for their suspected role in a larger smuggling network. Investigations are ongoing.