Two Nigerians have been arrested in India in separate anti-narcotics operations and are now facing trial for alleged drug trafficking.
In the first case, 40-year-old Chima Ibe was apprehended by Tulinj Police in Nalasopara East during a midnight raid on Monday.
Officers recovered over one kilogram of methylenedioxy-methamphetamine (MDMA) from his apartment, valued at more than ₹2.08 crore (about ₦343 million). Police also seized ₹34,500 (about ₦569,000) in cash.
According to investigators, the illicit substance, concealed in transparent plastic bags, was being sold at about ₹20,000 (₦330,000) per gram on the black market.
Ibe has since been charged under India’s Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985, and remanded in custody.
In a separate operation, the Delhi Crime Branch dismantled a narcotics syndicate, arresting three suspects, including another Nigerian identified as 35-year-old Chimezie Lazarus. Police said they recovered 194 grams of cocaine worth ₹2.25 crore (₦371 million).
The crackdown began on September 6 when officers laid an ambush in Rohini, arresting two Indians, Wadhwa and Kadir, with 85 grams of cocaine.
During interrogation, they allegedly named Lazarus—also known as Zudo—as their supplier.
A subsequent raid on September 10 in Mehrauli led to Lazarus’s arrest and the seizure of an additional 109 grams of cocaine.
Police sources revealed that he entered India in January 2023 for medical treatment but later turned to drug trafficking due to financial challenges.
Investigators said he operated a distribution network spanning Delhi, Gurugram, Meerut, Chandigarh, and Haldwani, using local couriers who were reportedly paid ₹1,000 per delivery.
Authorities are now probing the financial trail and possible international links of the syndicate.