No fewer than two Nigerians have been dragged before Indian courts after being arrested in separate anti-narcotics operations for alleged drug trafficking.
One of the suspects, 40-year-old Chima Ibe, was picked up by officers of the Tulinj Police in Nalasopara East on Monday during what local media described as a major anti-drug crackdown.
According to The Free Press Journal, police raided Ibe’s apartment in Pragatinagar, Nalasopara, where they allegedly recovered over one kilogram of methylenedioxy-methamphetamine (MDMA) concealed in transparent plastic bags.
The substance, with an estimated street value of more than ₹2.08 crore (about N343 million), was seized alongside ₹34,500 (about N569,000) in cash.
“The seized substance was confirmed as meth, which is sold for around ₹20,000 (about N330,000) per gram in the black market,” the Indian police said.
The operation, led by API Sunil Pawar and PSI Dilip Ghuge, was carried out around 12:30 a.m. after a tip-off.
Ibe was subsequently booked under India’s Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985, and has since been remanded in custody pending trial.
In a separate bust, the Delhi Police Crime Branch dismantled a cocaine racket and arrested three suspects, including another Nigerian identified as Chimezie Lazarus (aka Zudo), aged 35.
According to NDTV, Lazarus was arrested on September 10 in Mehrauli after police recovered 109 grams of cocaine from him. His arrest followed the earlier capture of two Indian couriers, Wadhwa and Kadir, in Rohini on September 6.
The pair were allegedly caught red-handed with 85 grams of cocaine in total.
Interrogation reportedly led police to Lazarus, believed to be the main supplier. In all, officers said they seized 194 grams of cocaine worth about ₹2.25 crore (N371 million).
Investigators disclosed that Lazarus, who entered India in January 2023 for medical treatment, turned to drug trafficking due to financial hardship.
Police allege he established a distribution network spanning Delhi, Gurugram, Meerut, Chandigarh, and Haldwani, relying on former taxi drivers as couriers, who were each paid around ₹1,000 per delivery.
Authorities also confirmed that Lazarus had no prior criminal record but maintained that efforts were ongoing to dismantle the wider cartel and uncover its possible international links.