Drug cartel run by African national busted; narcotics worth ₹12 crore seized

The joint operation also resulted in the detention of 30 foreign nationals living in India without valid papers.

The Delhi Police crime branch, with the Telangana anti-narcotics bureau (TGNAB), dismantled a trans-national drug cartel operating across Delhi-NCR, arresting ten core operatives and seizing narcotics worth about ₹12 crore, police said on Friday. The network, police said, was run by African nationals and had trafficking links across states.

Police said all suspects wanted under the Telangana FIR have been handed over to TGNAB for further action.(Representational/HT Photo)

The joint operation, led by joint commissioner of police (crime branch) Surender Yadav and TGNAB teams, also resulted in the detention of 30 foreign nationals living in India without valid papers. Police said many of them were linked to the trafficking ring. 18 men were shifted to a deportation facility, while 12 women are facing Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) proceedings.

Yadav said: “The crackdown, carried out over several days across Mehrauli, Sant Garh, Nilothi, Mohan Garden, Greater Noida and Munirka, was initiated after inputs were shared by TGNAB regarding accused persons wanted in an FIR registered in Cyberabad.” He added that teams used technical surveillance and ground intelligence to map safe houses, storage nodes and communication routes tied to the syndicate.

At Mohan Garden in West Delhi’s Uttam Nagar, police arrested 35-year-old Ugandan national Zainab Kyobutungi, described as a key supplier. From her home, officers recovered 195 grams of cocaine, 24 grams of MDMA, and ₹40,500 in cash. She has been booked under the NDPS Act.

A parallel raid at Sant Garh in Tilak Nagar led to the arrest of 49-year-old Nigerian national Bekki, from whom 5,209 ecstasy tablets, 35.46 grams of cocaine and ₹78,000 cash were seized.

Police said she revealed key supply details during questioning, including recent deliveries to a Nigerian man named Frank in Chander Vihar. Frank was arrested in a follow-up raid and police recovered 60 ecstasy pills and 40.33 grams of cocaine. He had previously been booked under the NDPS and Foreigners Acts in Mohan Garden, served prison time, and had been out on bail for a year.

Investigators also accessed a locked rented flat tied to a suspect Jean Ahmad, wanted in the Cyberabad FIR. He was arrested and searches yielded 100+ grams each of heroin and cocaine.

Alongside the foreign arrests, police apprehended three Indian suspects said to have been critical to the cartel’s support system. They were identified as Badruddin (Greater Noida) and Zafar (Mehrauli).They were managing payments and layering drug proceeds, police said, while Sama Umar, Badruddin’s wife, is suspected to have coordinated logistical support.

Investigators also named Titing Guite, Joshua Guite, and Lal Khosei Selien, who were arrested for procuring SIM cards using forged identities, allowing traffickers to rotate numbers frequently to dodge surveillance.

Police said all suspects wanted under the Telangana FIR have been handed over to TGNAB for further action.

Kumar said that during sweeps of linked premises, 30 foreign nationals were “found living without valid papers”. “Eighteen men were moved to a deportation facility, while 12 women are facing FRRO proceedings,” he said.