Two women among four African nationals held for smuggling drugs

In three separate operations, the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) managed to seize over 20 kg of pseudoephedrine on Saturday and 10 kg of ephedrine the following day.

The drug enforcement agency arrested four African nationals, including South African and Zambian women.

The NCB managed to track all accused on the basis of source-based information and arrested from Indira Gandhi International Airport.

In the first case, the agency had received information that a Zambian woman, leaving for Addis Ababa, would reach the airport with a heavy consignment of narcotics substances.

"Doris Mwasa was arrested from gate number 5 by our surveillance team. When her bag was searched, white crystalline powder suspected to be pseudoephedrine was found, weighing 17 kg and concealed in 12 purses in her trolley bag," said an NCB intelligence officer.

Mwasa had told investigators that she arrived at Delhi on July 17 and it was her sixth visit to India.

She was given the consignment by a trafficker Kenneth at Hotel Ambrose.

In the second case, on Saturday, Mandaba Violet Xaba from South Africa was intercepted by the NCB team from gate number 3.

When her bag was screened, five kg of pseudoephedrine in white crystalline powder form was found.

"Xaba used to work at a saloon in South Africa, whose owner had lured her into the drug trade by promising her 10,000 rands for the deal. She had come to Delhi on July 13 and made contact with a Nigerian woman, identified as Feddy," the NCB officer added.

In the third case, Nigerian national Johnson and his South African friend Patraicia Sakhile Ncube were nabbed at Terminal 3, with 10 kg ephedrine.

Ncube was on her way to Johannesburg with the drugs and Johnson had come to the airport to see her off.