New Delhi, March 31: Four Nigerians, along with an aide, were arrested and narcotics worth Rs 27 crore recovered in a crackdown against a major narco-network in Delhi-NCR in a joint operation by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) and Special cell of the Delhi Police, an official said on Monday.
The network was spread across Tilak Nagar in west Delhi, Chhatarpur in south Delhi and Greater Noida. Union Home Minister Amit Shah lauded the success of enforcement agencies and reiterated the resolve to continue the relentless action against the drug trade.
In his post on the X platform, the Home Minister said, “In line with the Modi government’s zero tolerance against drugs, a major narco-network was busted in Delhi-NCR. The NCB and Delhi Police grabbed the gang by its throat and recovered methamphetamine, MDMA, and cocaine worth Rs 27.4 crore and arrested five people. I applaud NCB and Delhi Police for this major breakthrough.”
An official statement said that on receipt of an input about an imminent exchange of high-quality Methamphetamine in the Chhatarpur area of south Delhi, a joint team of the NCB and Special Cell of the Delhi Police mounted surveillance on suspects.
The surveillance led to the interception of a vehicle carrying 5.103 kilograms of High-quality Crystal Methamphetamine valued at Rs 10.2 crore. Five occupants of the vehicle, including four from an influential family of Nigeria, have been arrested.
Sustained interrogation and technical backtracking revealed that the contraband was sourced from an African kitchen in the Tilak Nagar area of West Delhi. A search at this kitchen led to the recovery of 1.156 kilogram Crystal Methamphetamine, 4.142 kilogram Afghan Heroine and 5.776 kilogram MDMA (Ecstasy pills) valued at Rs 16.4 crore.
A follow-up search at a rented apartment in Greater Noida led to a recovery of 389 grams of Afghan Heroin and 26 grams of cocaine. Investigation revealed that to ensure the movement of African nationals for peddling drugs and narcotics, the syndicate used to arrange student visas for them to join major private universities of the National Capital Region (NCR) as well as Punjab.
For some of the students, the visa was only a cover for their stay in India while they supplied drugs and indulged in crypto conversions. An official said to fight drug trafficking, the NCB seeks the support of the citizens who can share information related to the sale of narcotics by calling on MANAS — National Narcotics Helpline Toll Free Number-1933.
IANS