Indian authorities have arrested a Nigerian national in Bengaluru over an alleged large-scale drug trafficking operation, recovering illicit substances with a combined estimated street value running into hundreds of millions of naira.
The suspect, identified as Samuel Ikkena, 44, was arrested by police in Yelahanka, Bengaluru, as part of a wider anti-narcotics crackdown targeting drug distribution networks operating among students and the wider public in the city.
According to Indian authorities, Ikkena allegedly ran an MDMA (ecstasy) distribution racket under the cover of a clothing business. Police said he procured the synthetic drug near Bannerghatta for about Rs 50,000 (approximately ₦3.5 million) and sold it at significantly higher prices through what investigators described as a structured illegal supply chain.
Ikkena reportedly arrived in India in 2012 on a business visa and initially traded in garments in Delhi and Mumbai before relocating to Bengaluru in 2025.
During the operation, investigators said they recovered 2 kilograms of MDMA crystals, valued at about Rs 2 crore, in addition to 31.396 kilograms of cannabis (ganja), 220 grams of hydro ganja, quantities of heroin, and a two-wheeler allegedly used in transporting the drugs.
Police Commissioner Seemant Kumar Singh said the total contraband seized was estimated at Rs 2.57 crore, with a potential street value of approximately Rs 5.14 crore, equivalent to well over ₦300 million.
Ikkena’s arrest formed part of a broader operation that resulted in 11 arrests, including two foreign nationals and eight local suspects, across several parts of Bengaluru, including Yelahanka, Adugodi, Bharathinagar, Jalahalli, and Pulakeshinagar.
In a related operation, Adugodi police also arrested Baljit Singh, from Uttar Pradesh, and Arjun Joshi, a Nepalese national, for allegedly supplying heroin within the city.
Police said Joshi, who allegedly began as a drug user, later entered the supply chain after sourcing heroin from Singh. Authorities recovered 162 grams of heroin valued at Rs 55 lakh, along with three mobile phones, from the pair.
Investigators said the suspects sourced drugs from both foreign and interstate suppliers before reselling them at inflated prices through local networks.
Cases have been registered under India’s Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, while authorities continue efforts to trace what they described as the main kingpins behind the wider trafficking network.
ADEOLA KUNLE
No comments:
Post a Comment