CHENNAI: A joint operation of the Chennai Customs and Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) on Monday led to the seizure of 5.6kg of cocaine worth `56 crore and subsequent arrest of four men in Chennai, Mumbai and Delhi, including a Nigerian.
The case was initially busted by Chennai Customs which apprehended two Indian men in their 20s who arrived from Addis Ababa — the capital of Ethiopia — by Ethiopian Airlines flight at Chennai on Monday. When their hand baggage was scanned, it revealed compactly-packed capsules suspected to be cocaine concealed inside Ferrero Rocher chocolate cans. In total, 5.618kg of capsules, suspected to be cocaine worth Rs 56 crore were recovered from the two passengers, identified as Himanshu Shah (25) of Uttarakhand and Sahil Attri (26) of Himachal Pradesh, sources said.
The case was immediately handed over to the NCB’s Chennai zone. In a follow-up action, they coordinated with their counterparts in Mumbai and arrested the handler of the two passengers. A controlled delivery plan was put in place and with that on Tuesday, the receiver of the drug, a Nigerian, was arrested in Delhi.
Official sources said that preliminary investigation indicates that this is the handiwork of an international drug smuggling racket with Indian kingpins operating from African countries. A detailed investigation including the money trail will be part of NCB’s probe, sources said.
Investigators say that the arrested duo were mules who were aware of the contraband they were trafficking and had taken similar trips from African countries to Mumbai and Delhi, ostensibly to bring drugs. “They were scheduled to take a domestic flight from Chennai to Delhi. The handler from Mumbai was coordinating everything,” an investigator said.
This is a unique case of cocaine trafficking busted by Indian investigative agencies, as usually drug mules are of African descent with gangs also using women to prevent suspicion. Incidentally, on August 23, Chennai Customs had seized 2kg of cocaine from a Nigerian woman and arrested her.
The apprehended Nigerian national entered India in 2023 and has been overstaying since his medical visa expired in 2024, an NCB official said. The Nigerian national had come to India for self-treatment at the Gleneagles HealthCity in Perumbakkam, Chennai, and was involved in drug trafficking, setting up a cocaine distribution channel from Delhi, the official added.
Considering the involvement of foreigners, especially African nationals, in drug trafficking in India, the NCB has collected the list of overstaying foreigners and shared the data with the respective states for appropriate action against them under the Foreigners Act, the official said.