Chukwuduem Justice Nwafor
Credit: Police sources
Bengaluru: In one of the city's largest synthetic drug hauls, the Central Crime Branch (CCB) seized 4kg of MDMA crystals worth Rs 6 crore, and arrested a foreign national.
The suspect, Chukwuduem Justice Nwafor, 41, is a Nigerian native.
According to the police, the seized MDMA was in its pure form, marking it the first time the city police have intercepted such a large quantity of pure synthetic contraband.
In November last year, the CCB's Anti-Narcotics Wing arrested another Nigerian national and seized synthetic drugs worth Rs 10 crore, although the contraband then was in its crude form. This recent seizure is the biggest ever by the Bengaluru city police.
Nwafor trafficked drugs to Bengaluru after purchasing them from counterparts in Mumbai. He concealed the drugs in Cerelac and cornflakes boxes, then repackaged them into small packets to sell, primarily to students.
Unlike usual drug busts, the CCB discovered incriminating evidence on Nwafor's mobile phone, providing strong leads to further strengthen the case. Officers are scrutinising his financial transactions to identify his counterparts in Mumbai.
"After analysing the data on his phone, we have identified a local peddler. He had bought 1 kilo MDMA from Nwafor,” a senior CCB officer said.
The officer added that Nwafor converted Rs 25 lakh into Nigerian Naira and sent it to his hometown.
Nwafor had initially moved to Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, on a business visa and set up a clothing store. But after incurring significant losses, he relocated to Bengaluru. Following his counterparts in other states, Nwafor saw potential to make quick money by selling drugs.
The CCB also arrested another Nigerian national along with Nwafor, who did not possess valid documents to stay in the country and has been sent to a detention centre.
Bengaluru City Police Commissioner B Dayananda announced a Rs 1 lakh reward for the investigation team, headed by Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime 2) Srinivas Gowda.