The Kerala excise department has brought an accused in a major Thiruvananthapuram narcotics case back from the United Arab Emirates, marking the department’s first operation to return a fugitive from another country. Shaun Sunil Bret, the eighth accused in the case, was brought from Abu Dhabi to Thiruvananthapuram on Saturday after extradition procedures were completed through coordination between the state government, the Union ministry of external affairs and other central authorities.
The case relates to a drug seizure on July 1, 2023, when the Thiruvananthapuram excise enforcement and anti-narcotics special squad seized around 155 kg of ganja and 70 g of MDMA during a raid at Netta Junction near Pulimath. Seven accused were arrested during the initial investigation, while Bret allegedly left the country and remained outside the reach of the investigating agency.
Excise commissioner Sriram Sambasiva Rao said the department had not previously brought an accused in a narcotics case back from another country. “This is the first time the excise department has brought an accused in a narcotics case back from another country. It is also the first such operation in the department’s history. More details will emerge after questioning him,” Rao said, according to the Times of India.
The investigation was later transferred to the excise crime branch because of the seriousness of the case. An Interpol Red Notice was subsequently issued against Bret as officials continued efforts to trace him. The notice enabled authorities in the UAE to identify him after he was detained in Abu Dhabi.
Excise officials said the UAE’s anti-narcotics agency informed Indian authorities last week that Bret had been detained on the basis of the Interpol notice. The state government then worked with the ministry of external affairs and other central agencies to complete the diplomatic and extradition formalities required for his return.
The operation illustrates the multi-level administrative process involved when a state investigation extends beyond India’s jurisdiction. The Kerala excise department led the narcotics investigation, while the state government and central authorities handled the diplomatic and legal coordination needed to secure the accused’s return from the UAE.
Investigators will now question Bret in connection with the 2023 seizure. Rao said the investigation would also examine who helped him evade arrest and whether he had suspected international connections. The department has not disclosed further details about the questioning or the next legal steps in the case.
