KOCHI: From banana plantations to Instagram conversations, the investigation into the alleged drug-trafficking activities of award-winning young farmer Dhanesh S Nair is opening up a much wider network, with the police suspecting that his connections extend beyond Keralam to an international drug syndicate allegedly operated by Nigerian nationals.
Aluva police, which recently arrested Dhanesh, 31, alias Dani Bhai, suspect that he had built an extensive distribution network with agents and carriers operating in several districts of central Keralam. Investigators believe that Instagram was his primary platform for communicating with associates, coordinating drug deliveries and managing the distribution network.
Senior police officers said the investigation had revealed indications of a much larger supply network, with Dhanesh allegedly maintaining contacts and carriers in several districts.
Harikrishnan and Shinu Sebastian, arrested earlier with MDMA in Alappuzha and Ernakulam districts, are suspected to have worked as Dhanesh’s couriers, delivering narcotics to customers and collecting payments. Investigators are now trying to identify other carriers who may have been involved in transporting drugs and distributing them among local dealers.
Police sources said Dhanesh had links with a Nigerian drug-trafficking racket and that a detailed investigation was under way to establish the nature of the association. An officer associated with the investigation said the suspected Nigerian connection was a crucial aspect being examined. Investigators believe that tracing Dhanesh’s contacts could help identify the source of supply and the intermediaries operating in the state.
Kerala police have previously uncovered international drug-trafficking networks involving Nigerian nationals.
For instance, in September 2026, an investigation by the Kannur police into the seizure of just 0.6g of MDMA led to the arrest of a Nigerian woman and a Cameroonian woman in Delhi. In 2022, another investigation into an MDMA seizure led Kochi police to Nigerian national Okafor Eze Emmanuel, who was arrested in Bengaluru.
Senior officers said the investigation was at a crucial stage and that the team was working to identify everyone involved in the distribution chain. The police are expected to approach the court shortly, seeking Dhanesh’s custody for detailed interrogation. Further arrests are likely in the coming days, an officer said.
