Delhi Police bust international drug racket in Bengaluru

Six people, including two Nigerian nationals and a woman, have been arrested.

Bengaluru: The Delhi Police busted an international drug syndicate in Bengaluru, allegedly run by individuals hailing from Kerala. Six people, including two Nigerian nationals and a woman, were arrested, and nearly seven kilograms of methamphetamine worth Rs 21 crore was recovered, an official said on Wednesday.

The accused were identified as Suhail A M (31) and Sujin K S (32), both from Kerala; Nigerian nationals Tobi Nwoyeke, alias Deco (35), and Chikwado Nnake Kingsley (29); along with a Bengaluru-based couple, Md Zaheed (29) and his wife Suha Fatima, alias Neha (29), the police said.

"The syndicate had a strong supply chain linking Delhi, Bengaluru and Kerala, with the Nigerians playing the role of suppliers and the Bengaluru-based accused couple financing and distributing the drugs. The syndicate allegedly targeted students, IT professionals and other youth across South India," Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime Branch) Harsh Indora said.

Acting on a tip-off from the Kerala Police, the Crime Branch unit mounted surveillance on Suhail, a history-sheeter wanted in multiple NDPS cases, the officer added.

"On July 19, our team received information about Suhail's presence in Delhi. He and his aide Sujin were tracked down to a guesthouse in southwest Delhi. A raid was conducted, and nearly six kilograms (5,950 grams) of methamphetamine (meth) was seized from the duo. Upon interrogation, they disclosed that they were supplying the contraband from Delhi to Bengaluru and parts of Kerala," the DCP said.

The DCP further mentioned that during interrogation, the duo disclosed their source was a Nigerian national who operated through social media and other online platforms. The team traced the Nigerian suspect to Delhi and after an extensive search, located him in the Mohan Garden area.

"The suspect, identified as Tobi Nwoyeke alias Deco, was arrested with 64 grams of meth. A search of his rented accommodation in Chhatarpur yielded another 865 grams of the drug. Deco told the police that he had been living in Bengaluru for several years and was supplying meth to Suhail. Following a crackdown on drug suppliers in Bengaluru, he had recently relocated to Delhi," the DCP stated.

Deco further revealed that the kingpin of the operation is based in Nigeria, and the consignments were being routed through African nationals living in India, DCP Indora said.

Subsequently, a team was dispatched to Bengaluru, where the financiers of the racket were believed to be operating. After days of surveillance, the team traced and arrested the couple -- Fatima and Zaheed -- from a PG accommodation in Bommanahalli.

According to the police, Fatima was introduced to the drug trade through her first husband, who was a drug addict. After remarrying Zaheed, the couple financed Suhail's drug consignments. They admitted to initially purchasing smaller quantities from him before escalating to larger deals. Further investigations led the police to Greater Noida, where another Nigerian national, identified as Kingsley, was arrested in Sector 1. Kingsley revealed he had come to India in 2015 under the pretext of seeking medical treatment, but later got involved in drug trafficking.

"He named two other Nigerian nationals, Ajuko and Chigmo, as his associates, indicating that Ajuko had returned to Nigeria and was operating the network remotely," the DCP added.

Further details provided by the police revealed that Suhail began as a drug consumer in 2019 after returning from Dubai. Within a year, he had built a network and adopted the "dead drop" method, where he left drug packets in secluded areas and shared pictures and locations with buyers to evade detection.

Initially, he sold smaller, non-commercial quantities to avoid detection but transitioned to commercial-scale trade. In 2024, several members of his syndicate were arrested by the Kerala Police in different cases. Sujin, his close associate, was a former salesman and cab driver who joined Suhail in pursuit of quick money, the police noted.

According to the police, Deco, the Nigerian national, came to India in 2018 as a student and gradually began selling meth to students and IT professionals. He sourced his supply from another Nigerian, Ogo, alias Obichi, who operates from Greater Noida. The Bengaluru-based couple, Fatima and Zaheed, facilitated larger transactions, enabling Suhail to expand his network, while Kingsley acted as a supplier, procuring shipments from Nigerians running the operation abroad.

In total, the police recovered 6,895 grams of drugs during the multi-state operation, with the seized drugs valued at over Rs 21 crore in the international market. Further investigation into the matter is underway, the police said.