The Mangaluru CCB police have seized 6,310 kg of MDMA drugs worth ₹6 crore and arrested a Nigerian national allegedly involved in the sale of the drugs, officials said on Monday.
Officials claimed the seizure as one of the largest drug hauls in the region.
According to Mangaluru City Police Commissioner, Anupam Agarwal, the CCB (Central Crime Branch) police conducted a raid on September 29 at a lodge near Pumpwell under the Mangaluru East Police Station’s jurisdiction.
The operation, aimed at curbing drug sales in the city, initially led to the arrest of Haider Ali (51), a resident of Chembugudde House, Thokkottu, Mangaluru.
Haider was found in possession of 15 grams of MDMA (commonly known as Ecstasy) worth ₹75,000, and a case was registered against him at the Mangaluru East police station. Through advanced technical analysis and intelligence gathering, the CCB police traced the drug supply chain to Bengaluru, uncovering a network of drug peddlers connected to Haider, Agarwal said.
The investigation led CCB officers to Peter Ikedi Belonwu (38), a Nigerian national residing in a rented house in Govinda Reddy Layout, Swami Vivekananda Nagar, Bengaluru.
{{/usCountry}}The investigation led CCB officers to Peter Ikedi Belonwu (38), a Nigerian national residing in a rented house in Govinda Reddy Layout, Swami Vivekananda Nagar, Bengaluru.
{{/usCountry}}During the raid at his residence, police seized 6.310 kg of MDMA, along with several incriminating items, including three mobile phones, a digital weighing scale, 35 ATM/debit cards, 17 inactive SIM cards and bank account books of 10 different banks, he said.
The total value of the seized assets amounted to ₹6,00,63,500, Agarwal said.
According to him, the accused had been supplying drugs across Bengaluru, various parts of Karnataka, and even into Kerala.
Further investigation revealed that a case had already been registered against him in 2023 at the Vidyaranyapura police station, Bengaluru, in connection with narcotic sales.
Police suspect that multiple individuals are involved in this extensive drug trafficking network and further investigation is on.