logo
Kerala man held with LSD worth ₹11.7 crore in Goa: Police

Kerala man held with LSD worth ₹11.7 crore in Goa: Police

Hindustan Times22-04-2025

PANAJI: The Goa police have arrested a 29-year-old man from Kerala with LSD worth ₹11.7 crore from Siolim, a senior official said on Tuesday.
Superintendent of police (SP) Sunita Sawant said the accused, identified as Mohammed Samir, 29, a native of Palakkad in Kerala, had been living in Goa for the last five years and was running a guesthouse in Baga. He also had a rented house at Siolim where he operated his drug business, the SP said.
'The accused was apprehended with 4.72 gms, i.e 10 drops, of highly potent LSD liquid when he had come to deliver the same just outside his rented premises at Siolim. The raid then took a massive turn when a search of his house recovered 110 gms of high micron LSD along with 101gms ganja,' she said.
110 gms of high micron LSD, when further diluted, is enough to make 10-12 lakh LSD paper blots, each of which costs ₹3,000 to ₹5,000 in the retail market.
LSD or lysergic acid diethylamide, sometimes referred to as acid, is a potent psychedelic drug, and is usually sold soaked on a piece of blotting paper.
The arrest comes close on the heels of the arrest of another Kerala man, Nibu Vincent, who was held along with a husband-wife duo, carrying 4.32 kg cocaine.
In March this year, the Goa police seized 11kgs of hydroponic weed worth ₹11.6 crore, believed to have been sourced from Thailand.
'We are constantly on the lookout for information about the drug trade and as and when we receive information, we verify the information and accordingly conduct raids. The police are following a policy of zero tolerance towards drugs,' Sawant said.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Share tip-offs on drug peddlers: Cops to locals
Share tip-offs on drug peddlers: Cops to locals

Time of India

time14 hours ago

  • Time of India

Share tip-offs on drug peddlers: Cops to locals

Panaji: Goa police said on Sunday that there is an increase in illicit drug trafficking and use of drugs in the state, especially among the younger generation. Police urged the public to share information about drug traffickers and peddlers for action. 'Say no to drugs,' said SP, anti-narcotics cell, Sunita Sawant. 'Drug use is destroying our families, societies, and is a threat to the nation. It has to be curbed.' Sawant also sought the help of the public to nab the menace. 'We have a toll-free number and helpline, 1933. Your identity will be kept secret, and nobody will reveal your information if you provide information to curb drug trafficking,' she said. She also said that Goa police are developing intelligence and conducting raids. In the first four months of this year, Goa police seized more drugs than they did over the past four years. They seized drugs worth Rs 68 crore from Jan to April, a 300% increase over the value of drugs seized in the past four years. From 2021 to 2024, drugs worth Rs 21 crore were seized. Since 2021, around 1,000kg of different types of drugs have been seized in the state, worth around Rs 90 crore. In 2025, Goa police have so far arrested 60 persons, including 18 Goans, 32 non-Goans, and six foreigners. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Install the Perfect Pool at Home – Start Here Backyard Pool | Search Ads Learn More Undo Since 2021, Goa police have arrested 691 persons, including 195 Goans, 401 non-Goans, and 93 foreigners. In one of the biggest-ever single-day drug seizures by Goa police, 4.3 kg of cocaine worth over Rs 43 crore was seized at Chicolna, Mormugao, in April. Three individuals, including a woman, were arrested, and police suspect the drugs were brought to Goa from Thailand to be sold in the local market. A week later, Goa police arrested 29-year-old resident of Palakkad, Kerala, Mohammad Sameer, for being in alleged possession of over 110g of high micro-LSD liquid worth Rs 11 crore. Sameer, a BBA graduate who was living in Goa for the past five years, was running a three-room guesthouse at Baga and arranged for taxis for his guests. Earlier, in March, Goa police seized drugs worth Rs 11.6 crore and arrested a 23-year-old Bengaluru resident for allegedly illegally possessing over 11kg of hydroponic weed (ganja). Police said the man brought drugs from Nepal to India and that the crime branch busted an international drug racket.

2023 fake drug case: Kerala woman's fight to find who framed her brings family under police lens, son ‘goes into hiding'
2023 fake drug case: Kerala woman's fight to find who framed her brings family under police lens, son ‘goes into hiding'

Indian Express

time5 days ago

  • Indian Express

2023 fake drug case: Kerala woman's fight to find who framed her brings family under police lens, son ‘goes into hiding'

Two years after she was exonerated in what turned out to be a fake synthetic drugs case, 53-year-old Sheela Sunny has been involved in a legal battle to find out who framed her. However, the police investigation into this has come very close to home for Sheela, whose son has allegedly gone into hiding, and his wife's sister was arrested on Sunday. Sheela owned a beauty parlour at Chalakudy in Kerala's Thrissur district when she was arrested by the Excise Department on February 27, 2023, following the recovery of what was suspected to be LSD stamps from her scooter. Slapped with the stringent Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, Sheela spent 72 days in jail before the High Court granted her bail. The case against her collapsed when chemical tests of the seized stamps tested negative for LSD. On Sunday, police arrested Liviya Jose, 23, the sister of Sheela's daughter-in-law, Liji. Last month, police had arrested Liviya's friend, M N Narayana Das, 55, who had allegedly given wrong information to the Excise Department about the fake LSD stamps found in Sheela's scooter. Police said the probe now involves Sheela's son, Sangeeth, and his wife, Liji. Sangeeth has allegedly gone into hiding after recently being thrice served notice by the police, officers said. Tables turn After lab results of the seized stamps showed they did not contain any synthetic drugs in 2023, the Excise Department registered a case against Narayana Das and Liviya under the NDPS Act. Early this year, when Das moved an anticipatory bail plea in the High Court, the judge directed the police to take over the probe. After the Supreme Court rejected his anticipatory bail plea, Das was arrested in April. Kodungallour DySP V K Raju, who is heading the probe, said: 'The entire picture behind the conspiracy will be out only after we question Sheela's son, Sangeeth. So far, he is not listed as an accused, but we had served him notices three times. We have intensified our investigation into him.' According to police, Liviya had used Sheela's scooter on February 26, 2023, and allegedly concealed the stamps in the scooter before asking Das to inform the Excise Department. The next day, Sheela was arrested with what was then believed to be LSD stamps. Contested motive Police said Liviya told them the motive for her attempt to implicate Sheela in the drugs case was that Sheela allegedly had sent a voice message to her son that could damage Liviya's reputation. The DySP said Das had half a dozen criminal cases, including those related to extortion, honey trapping and theft, against him. 'He had met Liviya in Bengaluru and they were in a live-in relationship. In the drug case, Das acted as per Liviya's instructions. She had collected the LSD stamps from Bengaluru. She collected them on the assumption that they were genuine. At the same time, we have no information suggesting her links with any drug racket. We need to bring in more clarity regarding how she got the stamps. For this, we will seek their custody,' the officer said. Amid the probe, Liviya had moved to Dubai, where she worked in the hotel management sector. Last Saturday, Kerala Police got a tip-off that she had landed in Mumbai, which led to her arrest. Sheela, however, is not willing to buy Liviya's theory regarding the motive behind the crime. 'I strongly suspect my daughter-in-law. Liviya might have given a wrong statement to the police to save her sister from the case. I had not spoken to my son against Liviya's character. When Liviya came home with costly items for us, I had raised doubts about her source of income. She was frequently flying between Kochi and Bengaluru with no source of income.' She claimed that her daughter-in-law wanted to avoid her and may have considered her an 'obstacle'. 'Hence, they conspired to put me behind bars,' Sheela alleged. After her release on bail, Sheela said her son moved out of their house. 'I don't know where he is now. If he is involved in the conspiracy, he should be punished,' she said. After the 2023 arrest in the fake drug case, many parts of Sheela's life derailed. Relatives and friends abandoned her, and she had to shut down the beauty parlour and vacate the rented premises on which she used to run it. Her husband, Sunny, who was working in a hotel, later became bedridden. Sheela had taken up a job at a daycare centre in Chennai, but had to give it up to look after her husband.

Fake drug case: police to question key accused
Fake drug case: police to question key accused

The Hindu

time7 days ago

  • The Hindu

Fake drug case: police to question key accused

The police will question both Livia Jose and Narayana Das, the two key accused in the fake narcotics case that led to the wrongful arrest and imprisonment of Chalakudy-based beautician Sheela Sunny in 2023. The police have begun the process of securing their custody for further interrogation, as discrepancies have emerged in their individual statements. The case, which dates back to February 27, 2023, began when Excise officials allegedly found LSD stamps in Ms. Sheela Sunny's scooter. She was arrested and spent 72 days in jail. However, a forensic lab report later revealed there were no traces of drugs on the seized stamps, and Ms. Sheela was acquitted of all charges. Subsequent investigations revealed the entire case was a deliberate attempt to frame her. The police found that the conspiracy was hatched by Narayana Das, 58, from Tripunithura and Livia Jose, a resident of Kalady, who is also the sister of Ms. Sheela's daughter-in-law. Narayana Das was arrested in April from Bengaluru, and Livia was taken into custody from Mumbai three days ago. According to the police, Livia has confessed to orchestrating the false case out of personal grudge, stemming from allegations that Ms. Sheela had maligned her reputation. According to Livia, Ms. Sheela had questioned how Livia, a student in Bengaluru, managed to accumulate expensive goods and even made derogatory remarks about her lifestyle. Livia told the police she acted alone, with help from Narayana Das, and denied any involvement of her sister. She claimed she planted the fake drug stamps in Ms. Sheela's scooter out of revenge, but admitted she was duped by an African national who supplied her with fake LSD stamps, thinking they were real. Sheela Sunny, meanwhile, has dismissed Livia's statements as false. She clarified that her only remark was a query to her daughter-in-law about Livia's source of income as a student and that this was never shared with anyone else. She stated that she had no serious conflict with Livia and denied sending any voice messages to her son blaming Livia. 'This was a planned move by Livia in collusion with my daughter-in-law to isolate me from the family,' Sheela said. She added that Livia's relatives themselves had expressed concern over her behaviour and had planned to visit Bengaluru to look into her lifestyle. Ms. Sheela also claimed she has not been in contact with her son since the case began and questioned the credibility of Livia's statements, especially the claim that she made defamatory remarks that led to the conspiracy.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store