Mangaluru: A Kerala man who was released from a Saudi Arabian prison after serving nearly a decade in a murder case involving a Mangaluru native has now been arrested for masterminding an interstate drug trafficking network supplying narcotics to Kerala as well as Karnataka’s coastal districts, including Mangaluru. Investigators believe the accused had emerged as a major supplier operating along the Karnataka-Kerala corridor after returning to India.
The accused, identified as Fazaluddin, a native of Kannur district, was arrested following an extensive investigation by Kerala Police into an organised narcotics network that allegedly smuggled drugs from Bengaluru into Kerala while also supplying contraband to Mangaluru and other parts of coastal Karnataka.
According to investigators, Fazaluddin had travelled to Saudi Arabia in 2006 to work as a taxi driver. During his stay there, he was convicted of murdering Ashraf, a native of Mangaluru, and was sentenced to prison. He remained incarcerated for nearly ten years before securing his release in 2016 after the victim’s family accepted nearly Rs 80 lakh as “blood money” (Diya), reportedly mobilised with the assistance of a charitable organisation.
After returning to India, Fazaluddin initially attempted to rebuild his life by working at a friend’s tea stall in Bengaluru. However, police said he soon came under the influence of narcotics traffickers and gradually entered the illegal drug trade.
In 2023, Bengaluru City Police arrested him after allegedly recovering nearly 50 kilograms of ganja from his possession. He was subsequently lodged in a Bengaluru prison, where investigators believe he developed close links with members of organised drug syndicates operating across southern India.
Police suspect that his period in prison proved to be a turning point. During incarceration, he allegedly established contacts with several interstate drug peddlers, transporters and suppliers, creating a network that later helped him expand narcotics distribution across Karnataka and Kerala.
After being released from prison in January 2026, Fazaluddin allegedly shifted back to Kerala and began coordinating a sophisticated drug supply network. Investigators claim he arranged the transportation of ganja and other narcotic substances from Bengaluru to various destinations in Kerala while simultaneously supplying drugs to Mangaluru and other coastal regions of Karnataka through a chain of couriers and local distributors.
Police suspect the accused exploited the heavy movement of interstate buses connecting Bengaluru, Mangaluru, Kasaragod, Kannur, Kozhikode and other towns to move narcotics without attracting attention. Authorities are investigating whether passengers, transport workers and local agents were used as part of the supply chain.
The breakthrough in the investigation came after Kerala Police arrested one of Fazaluddin’s alleged associates, identified as Denny, on June 22. Denny is accused of transporting narcotics through interstate buses operating between Karnataka and Kerala.
During interrogation, police examined Denny’s call detail records, mobile phone data and banking transactions. The investigation reportedly revealed frequent communication with Fazaluddin and exposed financial transactions allegedly linked to drug trafficking.
Based on the electronic evidence and intelligence gathered during the probe, investigators tracked down Fazaluddin and arrested him. Police believe he functioned as the kingpin of the network, coordinating procurement, transportation and distribution of narcotics across multiple districts.
Investigators are now examining the full extent of the network and whether it supplied drugs to educational institutions, nightlife hubs and coastal towns in Karnataka, particularly Mangaluru and surrounding districts, in addition to several locations in northern Kerala.
Officials are also probing whether the accused maintained links with larger interstate or international narcotics syndicates and whether proceeds from the alleged drug trade were routed through hawala channels or other illegal financial networks.
Police said further arrests are likely as investigators identify additional couriers, financiers and distributors associated with the network. Authorities are also trying to determine the volume of narcotics trafficked since the accused’s release from prison earlier this year.
The arrest has exposed what investigators describe as an organised interstate drug trafficking network stretching from Bengaluru to Kerala while extending its supply chain into Karnataka’s coastal belt. Police said the investigation is continuing to identify all those involved and dismantle the entire network.
