Assets of MDMA wholesaler under excise lens
Aug 23, 2026, 07.15 PM IST
Kochi: The excise department has begun an investigation into the finances of Varun Dev who was arrested with MDMA on Saturday. The accused, an alleged wholesale supplier of MDMA, was allegedly sourcing drugs from Delhi and distributing them in the city, often using young women as carriers to avoid detection.
Excise sources said that the accused was a kingpin of drug peddling operations who rarely gets involved in physical transactions. “Most of his associates were arrested in NDPS case and are in prison. So, he was forced to directly involve. He has amassed assets through drug trade,” said an official.
He said that an investigation is also on into how he trapped young women into becoming his carriers. “We suspect that the gang used to befriend women and stash contraband in their belongings without even their knowledge. Another key associate of the accused is also in our radar and he would be arrested soon,” said the official.
Acting on information that Dev had arrived in Kochi allegedly to finalise a drug deal, the team tracked his vehicle and intercepted it in the Vyttila area after a chase. They recovered 232g of MDMA concealed beneath the steering wheel.
Vipin S Kumar, 30, who was allegedly accompanying Dev, was arrested. The vehicle was taken into custody.
Excise sources said that the accused was a kingpin of drug peddling operations who rarely gets involved in physical transactions. “Most of his associates were arrested in NDPS case and are in prison. So, he was forced to directly involve. He has amassed assets through drug trade,” said an official.
He said that an investigation is also on into how he trapped young women into becoming his carriers. “We suspect that the gang used to befriend women and stash contraband in their belongings without even their knowledge. Another key associate of the accused is also in our radar and he would be arrested soon,” said the official.
Acting on information that Dev had arrived in Kochi allegedly to finalise a drug deal, the team tracked his vehicle and intercepted it in the Vyttila area after a chase. They recovered 232g of MDMA concealed beneath the steering wheel.
Vipin S Kumar, 30, who was allegedly accompanying Dev, was arrested. The vehicle was taken into custody.