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Biggest cocaine haul in Mumbai; Nigerians hid drug in undergarments
In one of the biggest drug busts this year, 746g of cocaine was seized from two Nigerians at the Mumbai Central terminus on Friday morning.
In one of the biggest drug busts this year, 746g of cocaine was seized from two Nigerians at the Mumbai Central terminus on Friday morning.
In 2015 alone, 980g of cocaine, worth Rs 78 lakh, has been seized at the station.
Mumbai Central government railway police (GRP) said the accused, Ogugua Peter Onyekwelu and Arthur Ifeanyi Maduawuna, had hidden the cocaine-stuffed capsules in their undergarments.
At 9.30am, the GRP’s anti-sabotage team at the Mumbai Central terminus approached the duo on seeing them walk around. The duo panicked, pushed down a constable and started running. The officials chased them down and caught them.
“We found two packets of capsules stuffed with cocaine in their underwear,” said Rajendra Trivedi, senior inspector, Mumbai Central GRP.
Officials said Onyekwelu and Maduawuna came to the city from Delhi the same morning, and were waiting near a Rajdhani Express coach when they were spotted.
Capsules with 406g of cocaine were found on Onyekwelu, while 340g was with Maduawuna. The accused first said the capsules were medicines that they take with their food. However, when GRP officials said they would order food and the two would have to take the capsules, the accused admitted the capsules were stuffed with cocaine.
Officials said the duo has been in India for at least three months on a tourist visa.
The anti narcotics cell has confirmed the seized drug is cocaine. A case has been registered under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act. The accused were produced at a railway court on Saturday and remanded in GRP’s custody till April 13.
Smuggler’s hub
There have been frequent seizures of cocaine at the Mumbai Central terminus
February 11, 2015: 120g of the drug seized at Mumbai Central, worth Rs 7.5 lakh from another Nigerian national.
January 28, 2015: Mumbai Central GRP arrested a Nigerian for possessing 114g of cocaine, worth Rs 6.5 lakh
December 4, 2014: Mumbai Central GRP seized 182g of cocaine worth Rs 10 lakh and one person was arrested
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