Bengaluru police bust interstate MDMA racket: 17.5 kg drugs worth Rs 35 crore seized

Addressing reporters, Police Commissioner Seemant Kumar Singh said the operation was among the biggest drug busts carried out by the city police and was executed under the supervision of Joint Commissioner of Police (West) C Vamsi Krishna.

According to police, the case was cracked during the investigation of a recent narcotics racket busted in Yeshwanthpur, in which nine people had earlier been arrested. Investigators said the fresh probe helped uncover a wider interstate network allegedly sourcing synthetic drugs from north India and supplying them to Bengaluru.

According to the police, officials attached to Hebbal police station received credible information on May 11 that three people were selling banned narcotic substances from a car parked near an apartment in Unnathi Layout at Anandnagar. Based on the tip-off, the police conducted a raid and detained three accused, including a woman.

During interrogation, the accused allegedly confessed that they had procured MDMA at lower prices from Delhi and were supplying it in Bengaluru at higher rates. Police seized 4.180 kg of MDMA, a car used for the crime, and four mobile phones from their possession.

The three accused were later taken into police custody for further interrogation. Based on information provided by them, the police conducted a search at a residence in Chikkanayakanahalli on May 14 and recovered an additional 10.120 kg of MDMA.

Further investigation led the police to Haryana and Delhi, where four more accused, including foreign nationals allegedly involved in the supply chain, were taken into custody. After securing transit remand, the accused were brought to Bengaluru on May 17.

The police said another accused was subsequently arrested near a hospital in Hennur on May 18. Based on his confession, the police recovered an additional 3.200 kg of MDMA from his residence.

In total, the police seized 17.5 kg of MDMA, two cars and four mobile phones linked to the case. Authorities said the estimated value of the seized narcotics in the market goes up to Rs 35 crore.

The police said efforts are underway to trace other absconding accused linked to the network and to unearth the multiple layers of the interstate drug syndicate.