Representative image for an arrest.
Credit: iStock Photo
Bengaluru: The Central Crime Branch (CCB) sleuths have arrested a 40-year-old foreign national for allegedly peddling synthetic drugs to college students and IT employees, seizing contraband worth Rs 4 crore.
The suspect has been identified as Daniel Arinze Okwosha, a native of an African country, who arrived in Bengaluru on a business visa in December 2023. He had been sharing a flat with a friend in Soladevanahalli, North Bengaluru, the police said.
Bengaluru Police Commissioner B Dayananda announced the arrest on Friday and confirmed that the operation was carried out by the CCB’s Anti-Narcotics Wing.
CCB officers said they received a credible tip-off from an informant in North Bengaluru, which led them to raid the suspect’s house in Achyutha Nagar near Soladevanahalli.
While the police caught Okwosha red-handed, his flatmate — also allegedly involved in drug peddling — managed to escape. The CCB is currently on his trail.
During the raid, officers seized 1.48 kg of white MDMA crystals and 1.1 kg of brown MDMA crystals from the premises. The seized contraband is estimated to be worth Rs 4 crore.
Investigations revealed that the suspects had been sourcing drugs from their counterparts in other states and local contacts around Bengaluru. They primarily targeted college students and IT professionals staying in paying guest accommodations and hostels in the area.
The CCB has booked Okwosha and his absconding accomplice under relevant provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.