A lecturer in Bengaluru was caught by the Narcotics Control Bureau on Tuesday after he received parcels suspected to conceal methamphetamine (MDMA), a psychotropic drug popularly known as ecstasy, inside notebooks.
The 27-year-old suspect holds an M.Tech in Civil Engineering and is an assistant lecturer at a Bengaluru college. He was caught on Tuesday with two parcels containing 16 grams of white crystalline MDMA in his possession after he received the package shipped from Mumbai through a courier service. NCB officials detained the lecturer and seized the drugs when he came to collect it after receiving a tip-off. The value of the drugs seized is around Rs. 60,000.
He was arrested on Wednesday and officials are investigating whether he is part of a larger drug-peddling network operating out of Mumbai. Officials are now following up on his contact person in Mumbai who sent the drugs concealed in notebooks.
The lecturer was previously an addict who is now peddling drugs in small quantities. This is another case in a growing trend of small-time dopers turning into dealers.
Ecstasy sold on the streets is frequently mixed with other additives, which increases the risk of nausea, blurred vision and muscle tension.
The effects of MDMA or ecstasy can last from 3-8 hours and include euphoria, heightened emotions, heightened sense of mental clarity, hallucinations, decreased appetite and thirst.
A gram of MDMA costs around Rs. 6,000 while ecstasy pills are sold for around Rs. 1,500 under different names like 'Sprite' and 'Facebook'. MDMA is also the drug of choice in psychedelic parties.