Kochi: The excise shadow team on Tuesday morning arrested two people with 90 nitrazepam tablets, a narcotic drug, from Aluva Bank Junction.
Sivaprasad aka Chamundi, 20, and Manwin aka Rambo, 22, both from Aluva, were picked up while waiting for their clients at Bank Junction.
The shadow team led by Aluva Range excise inspector T.K. Gopi had to use force to overpower them as they were on a high under drugs. They said they were active in the drug trade for long.
Mr Gopi said that they used to source it from Salem in Tamil Nadu at a relatively cheap rate of Rs 100 for a strip of ten tablets and sell it for four times that price among their clients in Aluva and nearby areas.
“Their customers range from college students to housewives, and they used to deliver the stuff at points of their clients' convenience. Holding up to 40 nitrazepam tablets is an offence punishable with imprisonment up to ten years,” he said.
The tablets went by the names of Padayappa and Button among the users in local parlance.
Meanwhile, the accused reportedly confessed to officials that a major drug racket was active in Salem and that many youngsters from the state visited the place to buy drugs.
The accused told the officials that they aimed to lead a luxurious life and ensure easy access to drugs, through this business.
More arrests will be made in this regard, officials said.
