Cops recover drugs worth Rs 5.5 crore; arrest 3 foreign nationals in Bengaluru

Bengaluru: In a major drive against narcotics, the Bengaluru police arrested seven people, including three foreigners, and recovered banned MDMA worth over Rs 5.5 crore.

In the first case, the Electronics City police arrested Joel Kabong, 28, an MBA dropout from the Democratic Republic of Congo, and his associate and fellow African Joy Sunday, 22, a BA graduate.

From them, the police seized MDMA crystals worth Rs 5 crore. The probe revealed Kabong came to Bengaluru in 2013 on a student visa and overstayed.

Investigations showed that Kabong procured contraband from Joy and sold it to customers, including college students. Based on his interrogation, Joy was arrested near Doddathoguru Cross.

The police said that Joy, a resident of Vidyaranyapura, confessed to supplying drugs and revealed she procured them from another foreign national. A search is on for her associate.

In the second case, Central Crime Branch (CCB) arrested another foreign national, whose identity was not disclosed. Also said to be an African, he had arrived in Delhi in 2024, started a clothing business, and entered Bengaluru a year later.

The probe revealed that he bought MDMA at a lower price from another foreigner and sold it in the city after his business failed. The police seized 255 grams of MDMA worth Rs 40 lakh from him.

In the third case, the Sampigehalli and Yelahanka police arrested four people for peddling MDMA. From them, 147 grams of contraband worth Rs 18.40 lakh was recovered.

Bengaluru Police Commissioner Seemant Kumar Singh said a special team is probing the cases to identify the source.

"I have instructed senior officers to follow all the leads. I appeal to the public and educational institutions to inform us if you have information on drug use or smuggling. The identity will be kept confidential,” Singh said.