DRI nabs drug supplier after dramatic chase

DRI arrests Nigerian national in Goa for controlling international drug trafficking syndicate, seizing cocaine worth ₹40 crore in Mumbai, leading to major success in cracking down on drug syndicates.

MUMBAI: The zonal unit of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) recently arrested a Nigerian national, who allegedly controls an international narcotic trafficking syndicate that had last month sent over 4.10 kilogram of cocaine, worth over ₹40 crore in illicit markets, to Mumbai. The consignment was seized from a foreign national.

DRI nabs drug supplier after dramatic chase

The accused was nabbed in Goa after a 20-minute chase across a forested tract near his residence and then brought to Mumbai on transit remand. The accused is currently in judicial custody. The DRI team allegedly seized 39 grams of cocaine, certain laboratory equipment used to dilute cocaine with baking powder and unaccounted cash of ₹5.79 lakh after carrying out a search at his hideout, DRI sources said.

The arrested accused was allegedly found staying in India without any valid document/permit, the sources said. “The arrest of the Nigerian accused operating a drug trafficking cartel from Goa is a major success in knocking down the drug syndicates operating in the country,” a DRI source said.

The DRI unit had earlier seized 4.10 kg of cocaine on January 1 this year at Mumbai’s international airport from the alleged possession of a Thai female national, who was arrested. “The Thai woman was attempting to smuggle drugs into India for the smuggling syndicate. During further in-depth analysis and detailed financial and travel investigation, the Nigerian national, located in Goa, was identified as a key player of this syndicate as the one operating and managing affairs of this international syndicate from Goa,” the DRI source said.

After conducting surveillance for a month, the DRI located the Nigerian national’s whereabouts, in a secluded area around Anjuna, north Goa. Thereafter, the DRI team, comprising officers from Mumbai and Goa, carried out an operation to apprehend the Nigerian national. During the operation, the accused however got suspicious and ran into the dense forest nearby to flee.

Unfamiliar with the forest trails, the DRI officers had split into separate teams and began to chase down the accused even as one team blocked the exit points to finally nab him, the sources said. The accused during his interrogation later allegedly revealed that he had been using the laboratory equipment recovered from his residence to adulterate cocaine by mixing it with baking powder, among other such substances, and that the cash of ₹5.79 lakh also recovered from his residence by the agency was the sale proceeds of the drugs he had earlier sold, the sources said.

During interrogation, the accused allegedly confessed to his role in drug trafficking activities across India including supplying to local drug peddlers and their clients. It was also found that he had been arrested twice before in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (NDPS) cases, the sources said. “This operation signifies the professionalism of DRI in busting an entire syndicate to safeguard against the scourge of drugs, “ the source said.