Meth peddlers found in possession of five guns

CHENNAI: The city’s methamphetamine scenario became doubly dangerous, as police teams trailing the meth cartels recovered five guns and 79 bullets besides 4kg of the synthetic drug in Arumbakkam. The weapons were recovered from two arrested drug dealers -- Perumbakkam Raja and Sathyaseelan.

“The guns were solid and looked like imported weapons. We have sent them for analysis, and a detailed report from ballistic experts soon,” said an officer, adding, “special teams have been deputed to ascertain from the duo about the purchase of the guns.”

If the suspicion about their foreign links is proved, National Investigation Agency (NIA) officials would step in. The terror angle also would be probed, he said.

So far, the team has arrested 12 suspects, including a couple and two suspects from Delhi. The cops also seized methamphetamine worth Rs 17 crore and confiscated assets worth Rs 5 crore belonging to the drug dealers.

An investigation officer said that it all began with the arrest of three men -- V Ganesan, 51, T Madhan, 46, and S Ravi, 48 – of Razak Garden near Aminjikarai – on Tuesday and the recovery of 39 kg of Ketamine worth Rs 3.5 crore, Rs 51 lakh in cash, 105 grams of gold jewellery, five mobile phones, two passports, two weighing machines, and three bikes from them.

The trio were Burma repatriates who had settled in Chennai and Tiruvallur. Ravi, one of the arrested, was involved in 25 cases of red sanders smuggling in Andhra Pradesh. The trio’s relatives and friends were working in illegal drug factories in Manipur. They coordinated with labs in Andhra Pradesh to source ketamine, which was shipped to Chennai via courier.

The police found that they were also in contact with a man, Viswanathan, 45, from Ongole in Andhra Pradesh, arrested with 1 kg of methamphetamine in Oct 2024. Police arrested Viswanathan posing as buyers. Further probe led them to the arrest of the absconding duo Raja and Sathyaseelan on Thursday.