4 Wayanad Excise Staff Suspended Over Drug Smuggler Bribe

Four excise officials who were stationed at the Muthanga checkpost have found themselves suspended for allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 50,000 from a drug smuggling gang. The Excise Commissioner issued the order regarding their suspension on Tuesday. These smugglers had transported MDMA, a banned narcotic drug, in a vehicle from Karnataka on March 21, 2022.

According to an official communiqué from the Excise Department, these four individuals have been suspended from their duties pending an inquiry, following a report from the Vigilance wing of the Excise Department. The personnel facing disciplinary action include Excise Inspector T H Shafeeq, Excise Preventive Officers PK Prabhakaran and TB Ajeesh, as well as Civil Excise Officers MK Balakrishnan and KK Sudheesh. It’s worth noting that Prabhakaran and Sudheesh were already under suspension in connection with a previous bribery case.

The allegations against them are quite serious. As per the Excise Department’s communiqué, these officials allowed three youngsters who had been apprehended with MDMA and drug paraphernalia to escape without registering a case, in exchange for a bribe of Rs 50,000.

The incident came to light when a prison inmate named Fasir, who was serving time for another case, reported it to the Vigilance wing. Wayanad has unfortunately become a favored route for drug trafficking, particularly for smugglers dealing with MDMA. The National Highway 766 (NH766) connecting Bengaluru and Kozhikode through Wayanad has turned into a notorious route for narcotic smugglers. This has led to frequent drug seizures, with MDMA being a significant part of the illicit trade.

MDMA, known for its lack of odor and easy concealment, is a synthetic drug that can be easily carried in small quantities and hidden both on the body and in vehicles. The combined seizures of MDMA by the police and excise departments in the district had reached 1756.8 grams by July 14th of this year, with an estimated local market value ranging from Rs 35 lakhs to Rs 53 lakhs.