A 25-year-old woman named Fathima Moufia, who had taken control of her family’s drug trafficking operation while her father is incarcerated in Puzhal prison, was arrested along with four young accomplices on 7 November 2024. She was the head of a secret Methamphetamine (meth) distribution ring, which recruited unemployed youth to sell the synthetic drug throughout the city.
The network was uncovered when a police team intercepted two men riding a motorcycle, carrying methamphetamine. During their interrogation, the men revealed that Fathima Moufia, a resident of Manali, was behind the operation.
Police investigations revealed that Fathima, a school dropout from Manali, had inherited the drug trade from her father, Shahul Hameed, who was convicted for ganja smuggling three years ago. After his conviction, the men who had worked for her father began reporting directly to Fathima.
Authorities noted that the drug network was highly organized and operated under strict protocols. Drugs were only distributed through secure, offline channels, and no transactions took place online. Meth was the primary substance trafficked, with young smugglers sent to North India to acquire the drug. They traveled on trains, often stopping at smaller stations such as Basin Bridge and Vyasarpadi Jeeva Railway Station, where trains would halt temporarily before entering MGR Central Railway Station.
Fathima, along with her four accomplices—V Dinesh Pratap (Kodungaiyur), S Santhosh (18, Tondiarpet), M Praveen (20, Puzhal), and K Tejesh (18, Washermanpet)—was remanded in judicial custody.
(With inputs from TOI)
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