Delhi Police bust international drug racket, seize cocaine and MDMA worth Rs 5 crore
New Delhi: Delhi Police have busted an international drug-trafficking network allegedly run by Nigerian nationals, arresting two foreign citizens and seizing cocaine and MDMA valued at around Rs 5 crore, officials said on Sunday.
The operation was carried out by the Crime Branch following sustained surveillance across several parts of the city. During the raids, police recovered 418 grams of cocaine and 925 MDMA tablets, commonly known as ecstasy.
According to officials, the Crime Branch had been tracking the movement of drug suppliers active in Delhi for some time. On December 2 last year, police received specific inputs that a Nigerian national, who had earlier been booked under the NDPS Act, had resumed supplying narcotics in south Delhi.
A police team launched technical and ground-level surveillance and found that the suspect was frequently changing locations across south and southwest Delhi to avoid detection. Acting on the information, the team conducted a raid and arrested Frank Vitus Ume, from whose possession a large quantity of cocaine and MDMA tablets was recovered. A case under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act was registered.
During questioning, Ume revealed that he was part of an organised drug-supply syndicate operating in Delhi and nearby states. Analysis of his mobile phone and further investigation led police to another Nigerian national, Sunday Otuu, who was living in a rented house in the Mehrauli area.
Otuu was arrested from his residence, and 15 ecstasy tablets were seized. Police said he was supplying drugs to Ume and acted as a link between local distributors and the alleged kingpin based in Nigeria.
Investigators found that the syndicate used WhatsApp numbers registered overseas and avoided direct contact between handlers and couriers to stay off the radar of law enforcement agencies. The drugs were allegedly delivered through intermediaries, including a foreign woman based in Delhi.
Police said both accused had come to India on business visas several years ago and later became involved in drug trafficking due to financial difficulties. Efforts are ongoing to identify other members of the network and trace the source of the narcotics.
(with inputs from agencies)
