Three held in MDMA peddling case; drugs and vehicles seized

The Hyderabad Narcotics Enforcement Wing (H-NEW), in a joint operation with Masab Tank police, arrested three MDMA peddlers and seized 11 gm of the synthetic drug, three mobile phones, a two-wheeler and a four-wheeler, all valued at ₹4.65 lakh.

The arrested persons were identified as Upputuri Kartheek alias Alex, 37, from Prakasam district in Andhra Pradesh, Chirumamilla Balaji, 32, a resident of Neredmet, and Tandra Deepak, 29, from Jeedimetla. Police said Kartheek was operating as the main peddler, while Balaji and Deepak were acting as sub peddlers.

According to Inspector S. Bala Swamy of H-NEW, the arrests were made on December 12 following a tip-off. “Kartheek, who was unemployed after failed business ventures, began procuring MDMA from Bengaluru through absconding suppliers and repackaging it into one gram sachets for sale in Hyderabad. Balaji allegedly purchased the drug from him for resale, while Deepak, initially a consumer, later joined the chain as a sub peddler to sell the contraband to known contacts,” explained the officer.

Officials said further investigation is under way to trace the supply network and identify other links.