Telangana's anti-narcotics wing, the EAGLE Force, on Friday said it had carried out a massive multi-state operation against a 'Nigerian drug cartel' operating across India, resulting in the arrest of more than 50 Nigerians and the seizure of narcotics worth Rs 3.5 crore.
The operation was conducted in coordination with the Narcotics Control Bureau, the Delhi police crime branch, and with support from the Noida police.
In coordinated raids across 20 locations in Delhi, over 50 overstaying Nigerian nationals were taken into custody, along with key cartel operatives in Noida, Gwalior and Visakhapatnam.
The operation, which involved officers from multiple agencies, led to the seizure of 5,340 ecstasy pills, 250 grams of cocaine, 109 grams of heroin and 250 grams of methamphetamine from four locations.
The total value of the narcotics was estimated at Rs 3.5 crore, the Elite Action Group for Drug Law Enforcement Force said in a release.
Investigators identified 59 mule accounts and 16 major cartel hubs in Delhi, and froze 107 bank accounts linked to the network.
The arrests included a major drug kingpin, several women allegedly involved in both drug sales and sex work, and multiple mule-account handlers. The action resulted in a significant disruption of the cartel's nationwide supply chain, officials said.
During investigations into two cases at the Cyberabad narcotics police station, the Telangana Anti-Narcotics Bureau (TGANB) found that drug orders were being placed with Nick, an alleged cartel operator based in Nigeria.
The probe revealed the cartel was supplying drugs to more than 2,000 consumers and peddlers across India, using hundreds of mule bank accounts to collect payments.
Once payments were confirmed, parcels containing drugs hidden inside shoes, garments, cosmetics, slippers and other items were shipped through various courier networks in Delhi, according to the release.
The EAGLE Force traced 11 consumers in Hyderabad who were directly sourcing drugs from the cartel. They were identified through mule-account transactions, courier company records and communication analysis.
High-level coordination meetings were held between the EAGLE Force, the Delhi police crime branch, the NCB and the Noida police to plan the joint crackdown.
A large contingent of EAGLE Force officers travelled to Delhi on November 25, and by 4.30 am on November 27, teams fanned out to 20 locations in vehicles provided by the Delhi Police Crime Branch.
Technical and surveillance units from all agencies supported the raids.
Meanwhile, intelligence inputs suggested that three key suspects had flown to Visakhapatnam. Police tracked their movements and arrested the three foreign nationals.
One of the significant arrests was that of Badruddin, an alleged kingpin of the cartel, and his associate, Sama Umar. Both were living lavishly in Greater Noida without any legitimate source of income. About Rs 15 crore had been deposited into six of Badruddin's bank accounts and withdrawn almost immediately, indicating active money laundering, officials said.
The release noted that in several locations, the suspects refused to open doors, forcing police to break them open.
In some instances, suspects had used the delay to hide or destroy drugs, it said.
Police said they preferred deporting such offenders rather than booking cases when evidence was destroyed.
The EAGLE Force alleged that cartel members were "freely travelling by air", luring Indian youth into drug addiction and involving them in "sexual activities."
It said many of them entered India on student visas but never attended college, instead leading a lavish lifestyle "funded by drug trafficking and sex trade."
The release raised concerns about the "blatant misuse" of banking channels for laundering money, the absence of regulatory checks on courier firms, and the emergence of ghettos across India as "hubs of lawlessness."
It said thousands of drug parcels had been dispatched from Delhi to students and peddlers across the country.
It also pointed out that deported offenders were often able to return to India by procuring duplicate passports from other countries and entering on student, business or medical visas.
There was "minimal verification
of whether a student was attending classes or whether a businessman was engaged in legitimate trade before visa extensions were granted, it said.
The EAGLE Force said the success of the operation was made possible with support from senior officers and personnel in Delhi, Visakhapatnam, Gwalior and Noida.
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