The MDMA crystals seized by the crime branch officers. The suspect transported the contraband by concealing it in food packaging and dry fish tins.
Credit: Special Arrangement
Bengaluru: In Karnataka’s largest drug seizure to date, Bengaluru’s Central Crime Branch (CCB) recovered 12 kilograms of pure methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) crystals, valued at Rs 24 crore, in a raid that busted an international narcotics operation.
The Anti-Narcotics Wing arrested 40-year-old Nigerian national Roselime Oluchi Ikeoha, who had overstayed her visa and been living in the city for nearly five years.
Bengaluru Police Commissioner B Dayananda said the arrest followed specific intelligence about Roselime, who resided in the TC Palya area and ran a grocery store catering to the African community.
“Roselime used the store as a front to store and distribute narcotics,” the commissioner revealed on Tuesday. “During the raid, a large quantity of MDMA crystals was recovered. She confessed to supplying the drugs to foreign nationals, college students, and private sector employees in the city.”
Investigators suspect the MDMA was smuggled from Mumbai, where Roselime allegedly sourced the drugs from another foreign national.
She reportedly transported the contraband by bus, concealing it in food packaging and dry fish tins.
“While the quantity may seem modest, pure MDMA crystals fetch a high price in the market,” a CCB official stated.
The police also recovered a mobile phone and 70 SIM cards, which were reportedly supplied by Roselime’s Mumbai-based accomplice.
“Efforts are underway to apprehend the second suspect. We believe this is Karnataka’s largest recovery so far,” the police commissioner added.
Ganja seizure
In four separate operations, the Bengaluru police confiscated 189 kilograms of marijuana worth Rs 1.21 crore. Eleven people were arrested, and cases have been registered at the Yelahanka, Ashok Nagar, Banaswadi, and Amruthahalli police stations.