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Nigerian held with 12kg drugs of ₹24 crore in Bengaluru: Police
A foreign national was apprehended in Bengaluru for allegedly operating a drug racket, with the Central Crime Branch (CCB) Narcotics Control Squad seizing 12 kilograms of MDMA crystals
A foreign national was apprehended in Bengaluru for allegedly operating a drug racket, with the Central Crime Branch (CCB) Narcotics Control Squad seizing 12 kilograms of MDMA crystals valued at approximately ₹24 crore, city police commissioner B Dayananda disclosed the arrest on Tuesday, adding that it was one of the city’s biggest drug busts.
The arrested woman, identified as Roselime (40), is a Nigerian national residing in TC Palya and ran a grocery shop. However, investigators allege that the shop was a front for her involvement in drug peddling. Acting on credible information, the CCB Narcotics team raided her premises and detained her.
Dayananda said: “This is one of the largest drug seizures in Bengaluru and Karnataka. The Narcotics Control Wing of the CCB team successfully cracked an MDMA crystal drug network. It is an international network. They have successfully recovered 12 kg of pure white and yellow MDMA. The total value is approximately ₹24 crore.”
He said that the accused, who came to Bengaluru on a business visa five years ago, had overstayed as her visa had since expired. During interrogation, she reportedly confessed to her involvement in illegal activities, including selling drugs. The commissioner noted, “She has confessed that she was involved in making illegal money by selling drugs at higher prices.”
He said that an inventigation has been launched on identifying her suppliers and understanding the role of a Mumbai-based woman reportedly connected to the racket. “After the CCB Narcotics team arrested her, they interrogated her, got the details, and seized 12 kg of drugs. We are searching for the supplier,” Dayananda added.
“Further investigation is underway to identify the Mumbai woman, understand why they had 70 SIM cards, and determine where they were getting the drugs,” he explained.
A case has been registered under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act and the Foreigners Act.
Apart from this case, in a series of successful operations, Bengaluru police have seized 190 kg ganja worth ₹1.2 crore over the past week, the commissioner added. The Yelahanka police had confiscated 93 kg of ganja valued at ₹74 lakh. The contraband was being transported in a truck and an Innova car, both of which were seized during the operation. Four people were arrested, and further investigations are ongoing, police said.
Ashok Nagar police also carried out a raid near the Christian cemetery, recovering 76 kilograms of ganja worth ₹30 lakh. Four suspects were arrested in connection with the case. In another case, Banaswadi police apprehended a man attempting to sell ganja and recovered 15 kg of the drug, estimated to be worth ₹15 lakh.
Similarly, Amruthahalli police seized 5 kg of ganja valued at ₹1.5 lakh. Police said that the accused had sourced the drugs from Odisha.
