Nigerian drug racket busted by NCB

In a major drug haul, the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) busted a Nigerian drug syndicate on Thursday. The NCB sleuths arrested two Nigerian nationals in a raid conducted at their rented accommodation in Lakshmanpur area of Uttam Nagar in West Delhi. The value of the seized drugs is estimated to be over Rs 2 crore in the international market.

According to the NCB officials, the arrested accused have been identified as Martins Akurasi (36) and Ude Okpani Ukegbu (31). The duo was nabbed after the NCB got a tip-off regarding the drug racket. Sources said that about 255 grams of Heroin, 166 grams of Amphetamine and 560 grams of Methaquolone have been recovered in the raid. Meanwhile, sources said that one of the drug syndicate members is absconding.

Primary investigations have revealed that Akurasi came to India in 2012 and has been operating the drugs business ever since. Police said that he has been shuttling frequently between Nigeria and India for the past four years. Akurasi has ties with a mammoth Nigerian drug syndicate and supplied drugs to youth in Delhi NCR area, which is known for its rave-party culture. According to the police, Akurasi used to send drugs in concealed packages across the world. He is married and has two children in Nigeria. He was found in possession of a forged passport of Ghana and a forged Indian Visa, sources added.

Meanwhile, Ukegbu had possession of Nigerian and Zambian passports. Ukegbu told the police that he came to India in 2013. Although his Visa expired the same year, he did not return to his country.

“The visas on Ukegbu’s passports too were forged. We have seized the forged travel documents and will initiate proceedings under the Passport and Foreigners Act against the duo by the concerned agencies,” said NCB Zonal Director Rohit Sharma.

Sharma further stated that instances of African drug traffickers living in Delhi on forged passports and Visas were on the rise and NCB would soon launch a drive to deport such nationals along with the Delhi police and Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO). Further investigations in the case are on. Meanwhile, according to Delhi Police data, in 2015, more than 4,425 kg of drugs were recovered.

According to the data in possession of Millennium Post, cocaine worth Rs 15 crore has been seized by the Delhi Police in 2015. The seizures include 0.0006 kg Ecstasy, 0.0007 kg LSD, 0.0009 kg Psychotropic, 51.019 kg M Powder, 50.2 kg Ephedrine, 1 kg Alprazolam and 1.998 kg Amphetamine.