Thiruvananthapuram: A mother-son duo and two others have been arrested for smuggling MDMA under the cover of a textile business. The Excise department team nabbed them near the Aralumoodu market in Neyyattinkara.

The arrested individuals are Kiran (33) from Eenchakkal, his mother Beena (50), Kiran's friend Sandhya (18) from Tirunelveli, and another friend, Akshay (26), from Chala. They were caught early in the morning while bringing 125 grams of MDMA from Bengaluru to Thiruvananthapuram in their Mahindra Xylo car. The arrest was part of 'Operation Thunder', following a secret tip-off received by Excise Squad Circle Inspector Hirosh V.R.

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The group ran a textile shop called 'Home Garments' in Eenchakkal as a front for their drug trade. To make their trips look legit, they would buy some clothes from Bengaluru. They travelled together, pretending to be a family on a business trip, to avoid suspicion at checkpoints. Kiran's eight-year-old daughter was also with them in the car. The police later called Kiran's relatives and handed the child over to them, as he is separated from his wife.

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Officials said the MDMA was cleverly hidden inside the car's music system. A check of their phones revealed that Kiran's mother, Beena, used her phone to manage the drug deals. The Excise team seized all four phones, ₹10,500 in cash, and the car used for smuggling.

Assistant Excise Commissioner R. Manoj, who visited the spot, said the accused will be presented in court for remand. He added that the investigation will be widened to uncover their entire network.