Interpol Red Notice Leads to Return of Kerala Drug Case Accused from Abu Dhabi

Kerala’s Excise Department is investigating whether anyone helped Shaun Sunil Bret, a 24-year-old accused in a 2023 narcotics seizure case, evade arrest after fleeing India. Bret was brought to Thiruvananthapuram from Abu Dhabi on Saturday following an international search and extradition proceedings.

Excise Commissioner Seeram Sambasiva Rao said the department was examining Bret’s possible international connections and the circumstances surrounding his prolonged absence. He added that further details could emerge after the accused is questioned.

The case dates back to a narcotics seizure at Netta Junction near Pulimath in Thiruvananthapuram district in 2023. Officials recovered approximately 155 kg of ganja and 70 grams of MDMA during the operation. The case was subsequently transferred to the Excise Crime Branch because of its seriousness.

Investigators later arrested the other accused, while Bret remained absconding and left the country. An Interpol Red Notice was issued on June 21, 2024, to help locate him. A Red Notice alerts law enforcement agencies worldwide to a wanted person’s identity and location; it is not an international arrest warrant.

According to excise officials, the Anti-Narcotics Agency informed Indian authorities last week that Bret had been detained in Abu Dhabi on the basis of the Interpol notice. The Kerala government subsequently contacted the Ministry of External Affairs to complete the necessary extradition procedures.

Bret arrived in Thiruvananthapuram by flight on Saturday morning, officials said.

Rao described the operation as the first instance in which Kerala’s Excise Department had brought an accused in a narcotics case back from another country. The department is now examining whether individuals assisted Bret in evading arrest and whether his overseas contacts had any connection with the 2023 case.

Officials have not disclosed the identities of any alleged helpers or confirmed the existence of an international trafficking network linked to the seizure. The investigation is continuing, and the findings will depend on evidence gathered during questioning and further inquiries.

Bret remains an accused in the case, and the allegations against him are subject to the legal process.