Three African nationals have been arrested in separate drug-related cases in Bengaluru, police said on Saturday.
A man from Ivory Coast was arrested with synthetic drugs worth ₹2.5 crore, police said, adding the arrested man stored 2.5 kg of MDMA crystals in empty champagne bottles.
Based on a tip-off, Govindapura police intercepted the peddler while he was trying to sell MDMA crystals in his car on a service road at HBR Layout, according to a statement from the Bengaluru police.
The man has been booked under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act and Foreigners Act. He was not able to produce any valid passport or visa documents. The police have also issued a notice to the landlord who had rented the house to the foreign national without verifying his documents, the statement said.
According to police, the man was sourcing the narcotics from a supplier in Goa.
In another case, a foreign national from Congo was arrested after he was caught allegedly peddling narcotics at Subramanyanagar. The police recovered 350 grams of marijuana oil from him. He had come to Bengaluru in December 2016 on a student visa for a bachelor’s degree in computer applications. However, he did not return to his country after his visa expired and took to peddling drugs, along with others from his country, police said, adding that he resided in Maragondanahalli.
In a third case, Subramanyanagar police arrested a Nigerian national and recovered 19 grams of MDMA crystals. The accused had come to India in 2012 on a business visa and was exporting garments to his home country.
{{/usCountry}}In a third case, Subramanyanagar police arrested a Nigerian national and recovered 19 grams of MDMA crystals. The accused had come to India in 2012 on a business visa and was exporting garments to his home country.
{{/usCountry}}According to the data released by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) in 2020, Bengaluru booked 2,766 cases under NDPS Act, 1985, second only to Mumbai which recorded 3,509 cases.
“This is the result of the campaign Bengaluru police started in early 2020. We have been cracking down on drug suppliers in the city. The arrests under NDPS Act in 2021 are going to be much higher than in 2020,” said Kamal Pant, Bengaluru police commissioner.