Cocaine worth Rs 6 crore seized from Nigerian man in Khar
The 1.2 kg of the seized ‘pure’ cocaine would become 8 kg after adulteration before being sold to street peddlers (Representational Image, Courtesy: IB Times)
In a major bust, a team from Anti-Narcotics Cell (ANC) arrested a Nigerian man from Khar for possessing 1.2 kg high-quality cocaine worth Rs 6.12 crore.
On a tip-off, a team from ANC’s Bandra unit laid a trap near Khar telephone exchange on the new link road on Monday night and nabbed the accused, identified as Bonavenchure Nzubechukwu Nwude (35).
Nwude, a resident of Koparkhairane in Navi Mumbai, is suspected to be a member of an international drug cartel.
“Nwude used to receive the contraband from Delhi international airport from his aides and visit Mumbai to sell it. The seized cocaine is around 96 percent pure,” said DCP, ANC, Shivdeep Lande.
The raw drugs are reportedly mixed with additives like ajinomoto or paraceutamol powder to increase their quantity. After mixing, the 1 kg consignment would transform into around 8 kg of less pure cocaine, that will eventually be sold to peddlers.
Nwude had picked up the cocaine parcel from a Mozambique national in Delhi and was scheduled to go to Taiwan from Mumbai.
“This drug cartel is being run from African countries whose members used to visit India to deliver the contrabands. They hide the drug capsules in their abdomen by swallowing them,” he said.
Another official said Nwude had visited India between 2002 and 2004 also for delivering drugs.
The ANC had arrested other members of the drug cartel from the city in the past. “One of the accused, who was arrested from Goa earlier, seems to be linked to the same cartel,” the official said.
Nwude was booked under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act and produced in a local court on Tuesday, which remanded him to police custody till June 22.
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