Hyderabad, Dec 14 (IANS) Hyderabad Narcotics Enforcement Wing (H-NEW) has seized 11 grams of MDMA by arresting three peddlers.
In a joint operation with Masab Tank police, H-NEW sleuths arrested Upputuri Kartheek, Chirumamilla Balaji and Tandra Deepak and seized 11 grams of MDMA, three mobile phones and one two-wheeler and one four-wheeler, all worth Rs.4.65 lakh from their possession.
Kartheek alias Alex, 37, is a resident of Prakasam district of Andhra Pradesh, while Balaji, 32, and Deepak, 29, are from Jeedimetla in Medchal Malkajgiri district of Telangana.
According to police, Kartheek, who was under financial stress, learnt about MDMA procurement from brother-in-law, Balaji, who has a criminal background. He started visiting Bengaluru to buy the drug from suppliers and was repacking MDMA into 1-gram sachets and selling them in Hyderabad for profit.
Balaji, who had also used MDMA, was previously involved in a case under the NDPS Act for MDMA peddling. After release from jail, he again engaged in selling MDMA to meet his lavish lifestyle needs. He procured the drug from his cousin Kartheek for Rs 4,000 per gram and sold it at higher prices. He later introduced Deepak, a regular consumer, into peddling, supplying him with MDMA for resale.
Deepak, a B.Tech (Civil) student who also works in a company, became addicted to MDMA. To sustain an extravagant lifestyle, he shifted from personal MDMA use to selling it to known consumers. He began working as a sub-peddler under Balaji, from whom he regularly procured the drug. He purchased 1 gram of MDMA for Rs 5,000 to sell to his known consumers for profit.
Gaikwad Vaibhav Raghunath, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Task Force/ HNEW, has said that regular addiction among the youth is rising in society, leading to disastrous consequences for the family as a unit and the society in general.
H-NEW requested the public to refrain from substance abuse and advised parents to keep a watch on the activities of their children to ensure that they do not fall prey to drugs.
--IANS
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