Two Nigerians nabbed in India over drug trafficking as police intensify crackdown
Two Nigerians have been arrested in separate drug trafficking incidents in India, as law enforcement authorities intensify efforts to dismantle narcotics distribution networks across major cities.
Two Nigerians have been arrested in separate drug trafficking incidents in India, as law enforcement authorities intensify efforts to dismantle narcotics distribution networks across major cities.
In Hyderabad, a Nigerian woman was apprehended on Friday after operatives of the excise department recovered 7.5 grams of cocaine from her possession.
According to reports by The Times of India, the district task force acted on intelligence that the suspect had travelled from Mumbai, in Maharashtra State, to distribute illicit drugs within the city.
She was intercepted near Paradise, a central district in Hyderabad, shortly after arriving in an autorickshaw.
According to the report, a search of her belongings led to the discovery of five packets of cocaine. Authorities confirmed the substance following preliminary testing before taking her into custody.
Investigators disclosed that the suspect allegedly purchased the narcotics in Mumbai for ₹15,000 (approximately N1.8 million) and intended to resell them at a higher price in Hyderabad.
A case has since been filed under India’s Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, with officials probing the source of the drugs and possible links to a wider distribution network.
In a separate operation in New Delhi, police arrested John Chibuike, a 35-year-old Nigerian national, in the Mehrauli area, recovering 1 kilogram of high-grade cocaine from his residence.
Authorities described the arrest as a significant breakthrough in disrupting a cocaine supply chain operating across the capital.
Police said the operation followed credible intelligence indicating that the suspect was coordinating a drug trafficking syndicate within the city.
Surveillance efforts led officers to his residence in Islam Colony, where a raid resulted in his arrest and the seizure of the narcotics.
Further checks by the Police, revealed that Chibuike had previously been implicated in a 2022 case under the NDPS Act, raising concerns about repeat offences and the persistence of organised drug networks.
Anant Mittal, Deputy Commissioner of Police (South), stated that investigations are ongoing to dismantle the broader syndicate.
Authorities are working to identify accomplices, trace supply routes, and examine possible interstate and international connections.
The latest arrests come amid a string of similar incidents involving foreign nationals in India’s drug trade.
Just days earlier, police in Bengaluru, Karnataka State, arrested Samuel Ikkena, another Nigerian, 44-year-old, for allegedly operating a large-scale MDMA (ecstasy) distribution network.
According to reports, Ikkena sourced the drugs near Bannerghatta for ₹50,000 (about N3.5 million) and redistributed them through an organised network.
Law enforcement agents reportedly seized MDMA crystals valued at approximately ₹2 crore (over N290 million).
Authorities have reiterated their commitment to intensifying surveillance, intelligence gathering, and inter-agency collaboration to curb the proliferation of narcotics.
