An international drug racket was arrested by Hyderabad Police on Wednesday. The Nigerians gang was caught when they were selling drugs to students. All the seven Nigerians came to India on Business visa but started selling drugs to earn extra money.
Police said “73 grams of cocaine, 5 grams of brown sugar worth five lakh was seized including two laptops, 15 cell phones and Rs 33,600 cash. Four of them had been arrested earlier too in criminal cases by the Goa and Hyderabad police.”
DCP B. Limba Reddy said “a joint operation was held by the commissioner's task force teams (North and West Zone) who arrested the Nigerians from two locations in the city and seized from them the cocaine and brown sugar meant for sale to customers.”
He said “the accused -- Ejeana Raphael Chidera, C. Akuabata, U. Solomon Ubabuko, Obiora Chukwuemeka Peter, O. Samson, E. Christian Chuku and U. Promise Chukuwudi had been selling drugs in Hyderabad and other parts of the country. Mr Ejeana Raphael Chidera is the kingpin. He has got into the drug circle in Goa and developed the network in other metropolitan cities. The gang sells each sachets of cocaine of one gram for Rs 5,000 to Rs 6,000. They used to get it from Ejeana’s sources in Goa for `2,800.”
Limba Reddy added “after they came to India, they have established a drug network over the metropolitan cities and become part of an already existing network based out of Goa. We suspects the Nigerians have bands of rich customers. We are investigating the matter. It appears they sell drugs to students also. As four of the arrested are repeated offenders, we plan to invoke provisions of the PD act.”
Senior police officials said “hardcore drugs like cocaine, which is generally not manufactured in India, is brought from Latin America. Smugglers also find it convenient to fly in via Europe to avoid strict screening. The drugs reach Goa and find their way to Hyderabad from there.”
According to Task Force DCP B. Limba Reddy, cocaine smugglers take the risk of being caught and bring the drugs to India by air.
“In some cases, the smugglers swallow the capsules containing drugs as a means of transportation to India. The smugglers also conceal the drugs in body cavities, which can only be detected through special checks at the airports,” said the DCP.
“In order to avoid frisking and screening, the peddlers take the Europe route because security checks on European travellers are not so rigorous here,” the DCP added.
The official said that ‘the drugs are then smuggled to Hyderabad from Goa by road and train in order to avoid police surveillance.”
BY M. DIVYA SRI
