Kerala: Man arrested for selling drugs under pretext of massage parlour in Kochi

The Excise Department seized drugs worth Rs 3 lakh from Herbal Pigeon Ayurveda Therapy and Spa in Kochi. The accused was arrested and remanded by the court. 

Kochi: A flash raid by the Excise department led to the arrest of a man who owned a massage parlour in Kochi. The man was selling drugs under the guise of his massage parlour. Ashil Lenin (25), a native of Kusumagiri, Kakkanad, was arrested by the Excise Special Branch. 38 grams of MDMA, two grams of hashish oil, and three grams of cannabis were recovered from his possession. Two smartphones used for drug dealing and Rs 9100 were taken into excise custody.

The accused ran a massage parlour named Herbal Pigeon Ayurveda Therapy and Spa on Vytilla-Sahodaran Ayyappan road in Kochi. In the pretext of the parlour, he was involved in the drug trade. Excise Intelligence had received information about the use of chemical intoxicants in massage parlours. Following this, inspections are being conducted in massage centers across the state. The Excise Shadow team conducted surveillance after noticing an unusual rush at the spa and seized drugs the other day by carrying out a flash raid.

MDMA, the synthetic drug, with an estimated market value of Rs 3 lakh was seized during the raid.  Brown meth, a man-made stimulant drug, primarily affects the central nervous system. Its use can lead to anxiety, depression, suicidal tendencies, apathy, headaches, mental disorders and even heart attacks.

Special Squad Inspector K.P. Pramod, Intelligence Preventive Officer NG Ajith Kumar, C.P. Jinesh Kumar, MT Harris, City Metro Shadow Preventive Officer ND Tommy, CEOs TP James, Vimal Kumar CK, Nisha S and Megha VM took the accused into custody. He was later produced in court and remanded.