Three Nigerians held with 1.3 kg heroin in southwest Delhi’s Mohan Garden

Deputy commissioner of police (Dwarka) Shankar Chaudhary said the drugs were bought from Nigeria, through Russia, and was smuggled into the country via the porous borders of Bangladesh and Nepal

Three men from Nigeria, who were allegedly involved in smuggling and circulation of heroin in the national capital, were arrested and around 1.3 kg of heroin were seized from them, police said on Wednesday.

Police said three men had rented two rooms in a building in southwest Delhi’s Mohan Garden area, where they mixed the heroin with chemicals to manufactured fine quality heroin, before supplying it to people in different parts of the city. (Picture for representation only/HT)

Police said that three men had rented two rooms in a building in southwest Delhi’s Mohan Garden area, where they mixed the heroin with chemicals to manufactured fine quality heroin, before supplying it to people in different parts of the city.

Police identified the men as Henry Okolie (41), Uchechukwu Peter (37), and Stanley Chimeize Alasonye (41). Deputy commissioner of police (Dwarka) Shankar Chaudhary said the drugs were bought from Nigeria, through Russia, and was smuggled into the country via the porous borders of Bangladesh and Nepal.

“They also used Indian ports and were living without a valid visa. Alasonye was the leader of the gang,” Chaudhary said.

Heroin is one of the most common drugs smuggled into the national capital. From the villages of districts in Uttar Pradesh ,Madhya Pradesh and counties such as Myanmar, Afghanistan and Nigeria, there are different sources of heroin in Delhi.

In 2020, police seized about 94.27 kg heroin from different people. Marijuana was the most common drug seized -- over 4,396 kg -- by police in the Capital last year.

In the latest case, police said the arrests on October 1 came about after a police officer, acting on a tip-off, stopped Okoluie and Peter, who were on a scooter, in Mohan Garden. DCP Chaudhary said the police found two heroin packets of 500 gm each, concealed in their pocket. A subsequent raid at their house in R Extension block revealed a “factory” on the top floor and later led to Alasonye’s arrest.