BENGALURU: In three separate operations, the Anti-Narcotics Wing of the Central Crime Branch (CCB) seized 10.36 kg of MDMA crystals and 8 kg of hydro ganja, worth approximately Rs 28.75 crore. Two foreign nationals were arrested in two of the cases. Police said the seized drugs were stockpiled for sale during the New Year celebrations.
In the first case, 25-year-old Nancy Omary Lawa, a Tanzanian national, was arrested based on a tip-off. Police raided her house and found 9.25 kg of MDMA crystals worth Rs 18.50 crore. She had come to India in 2023 on a tourist visa.
After staying in Delhi, she moved to Bengaluru, worked as a hair stylist, and lived in a rented house at P&T Layout, Sampigehalli. She allegedly got MDMA from Delhi and sold it at higher prices to known customers, the police said.
In another case, Emmanuel Idiko (28), a Nigerian, was arrested near the basketball court at Lalbagh South Gate while attempting to peddle drugs. He arrived in India on a business visa in 2021 and moved to Bengaluru in 2022.
According to the police, he sourced MDMA from foreign peddlers in Delhi and Goa at lower prices and distributed it in Bengaluru through another foreign national. Police seized 1.115 kg of MDMA worth Rs 2.25 crore. He had earlier been booked under the NDPS Act at Govindapura Police Station in February 2024 and continued peddling after his release in April.
In the third çase, the CCB intercepted parcels at the foreign post office in Chamarajpet based. Officials seized 8 kg of hydro ganja valued at Rs 8 crore, concealed in tea bags and procured from foreign sources.
City Police Commissioner Seemant Kumar Singh said that with this latest seizure, the city police have recovered nearly Rs 140 crore worth of various drugs, making it the highest seizure in a year.
Meanwhile, Bengaluru Customs officers arrested a person at Kempegowda International Airport, Terminal 2, who was arriving from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and seized 4.9 kg of hydroponic ganja valued at Rs 1.71 crore.