Drug racket busted in Mysuru

Keralam Police arrest drug supplier from Nanjangud

• Accused owned a large banana plantation in Nanjangud
• Had received the ‘Best Young Farmer’ award in 2023
• Hid narcotics among banana bunches for transportation
• Used Instagram to coordinate drug distribution

Mysuru: The Keralam Police have busted a drug trafficking network operating between Mysuru, Bengaluru and Keralam, with the arrest of a key supplier from Nanjangud.

In July 2025, the Maharashtra Police had busted another drug racket with links to Mysuru. The operation was being run from a garage-like shed at Unnathi Nagar in Belavatta, along the Outer Ring Road. Now, the Keralam Police have unearthed another network allegedly linked to Nanjangud.

Arrested accused has been identified as Dhanesh S. Nair alias Dani, 31, a native of Haripad in Alappuzha of Keralam, who was residing in Nanjangud. He is believed to be one of the main suppliers in the network. Ironically, Dhanesh received ‘Best Young Farmer’ award in 2023.

Banana plantation used to conceal drugs

Investigators allege that Dhanesh owned a large banana plantation in Nanjangud and used it to conceal narcotics among banana bunches before transporting them to Keralam.

A team led by Aluva Dy.SP Baiju Paulose arrested Dhanesh during a raid at Angamaly, Ernakulam district. The Police seized 803 grams of hashish oil and eight grams of MDMA from him.

According to the Keralam Police, Dhanesh arranged the transportation of narcotics, particularly MDMA, from Bengaluru to Keralam via Mysuru.

His arrest followed the earlier arrest of K.S. Harikrishnan in Aluva on Nov. 8, when 185 grams of MDMA were seized from him. Another accused, Shinu Sebastian, had also been arrested earlier.

Examination of Harikrishnan’s mobile phone reportedly led the investigators to Dhanesh.

A special investigation team subsequently carried out operations in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka and arrested him based on intelligence inputs.

Recruited youths for drug trade

According to Police sources, Dhanesh allegedly recruited young people to work in the drug trafficking network. He brought them to Bengaluru and surrounding areas, where large quantities of MDMA were procured and transported to Keralam for distribution among dealers and consumers.

Investigators also recovered videos from his mobile phone showing how narcotics were allegedly concealed among banana bunches and transported without attracting attention.

Deals on Instagram

Investigators found that Dhanesh, who was known as ‘Dani Bhai’, allegedly used Instagram to coordinate drug deliveries. He reportedly instructed members of the network on whom to deliver the drugs to and where and how the deliveries should be made. Harikrishnan and Shinu Sebastian allegedly supplied drugs to customers on Dhanesh’s instructions. They collected payments from buyers and transferred the money to him, investigators said.

The Keralam Police said that Dhanesh’s arrest had helped them identify one of the main sources supplying drugs to Keralam from the Bengaluru-Mysuru region. Further investigation is underway to trace other members of the network.

The accused has been living in a rented house in Nanjangud town for the past six months. Beyond this, we have no other information locally. No drugs have been found in the area and we have no evidence so far to suggest that drug-related activities were taking place in Nanjangud. We are looking into the matter and trying to establish when and how he came here and what activities he was involved in. The investigation is on.

— Mallikarjun Baladandi, SP, Mysuru