TN: Coastal Police on alert as Panchayat leader held for drug links

Chennai, May 11 The Tamil Nadu Coastal Police have been maintaining vigilance after a Panchayat president and his son were arrested for links with international drug cartels, an official said on Thursday.

The father-son duo was arrested on Tuesday after the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) had intercepted a vehicle on Monday night and found drugs in it.

When the person in the vehicle was questioned, he said that the drug was to be delivered to N. Mahalingam (60), who is the president of Vizhunthamavadi panchayath in Keellaiuur block, and his son Alex (32), a ward councillor.

It may be noted that for the last one month the central intelligence agencies have been providing inputs on some international networks trying to use the Nagapattinam coast line to push high quality drugs into the country.

A source told that certain former cadres of the now defunct LTTE are trying to push in drugs to raise funds for revamping the organisation.

After the arrest and subsequent judicial custody of a top intelligence operative of the LTTE , Sabesan a.k.a. Satkunam in October 2021 has reduced the activities of the defunct LTTE cadres.

Sabesan was accused as being the brain behind the smuggling of the drugs valued at Rs 3,000 crore off the Vizhinjam coast in Kerala along with five AK-47 assault rifles and pellets.

The agencies are trying to cut the ground support these networks are receiving within the state of Tamil Nadu.

A highly placed source with a central agency probing the network told that the former sympathisers of LTTE have developed a network in Tamil Nadu.

aal/pgh