PicNews
Seven Nigerians were recently arrested in India for drug trafficking and residing in the country without valid documents. The arrests were made in two separate incidents. Chidiebube Ije, 31, and Promise Onana, 39, were caught with cocaine and MD drugs worth approximately N34.7 million in an apartment at Chaitanya Nagar in Powai. A Nigerian couple allegedly allowed them to use their rented apartment for drug deals.
In another incident, five Nigerians – Vincent, 35; Chikezie Innocent, 43; Chinweubalinus, 52; Andrew Ugochukwu, 25; and Anthony, 41 – were arrested by Mangalam police for staying in India without passports or valid visas. They were found in rented houses at Sultanpet Neeli Pirivu on Mangalam Road and claimed to be purchasing banian clothes and exporting them to Nigeria. The police investigation revealed that the Nigerians had been living in Tirupur city since 2021 without proper documentation.
The arrests are part of a larger crackdown on international drug cartels with links to Nigeria and other countries. Indian authorities have been working to dismantle these networks, which often use courier services to smuggle drugs into the country. In some cases, the cartels have been found to be using hawala-based money laundering networks to fund their operations.
In a similar incident, two Nigerians, Ikechukwu Callistus and Oliver Okechukwu, were arrested in separate operations. Callistus was caught with 35.5 grams of cocaine, 4.4 grams of methamphetamine, and 2.3 grams of MDMA valued at around N14.7 million in Goa. Okechukwu, on the other hand, was accused of duping a woman of N9.5 million under the pretext of marriage, posing as a London-based professional named “Satya Amit” on matrimonial websites.
These arrests highlight the growing concerns about Nigerians abroad being linked to fraud and drug-related crimes. Earlier this year, over 50 Nigerians were arrested in Ghana during a raid linked to suspected cybercrime. Similar complaints have also been raised in South Africa.
