Nigerian drug racket busted in India- Two arrested.

NEW DELHI: The crime branch claimed to have busted a Nigerian drug racket that used to get heroin smuggled to the capital from Kandahar in Afghanistan through Pakistan and PoK. The gang then re-packed the drugs and sent it through post to Nigeria, from where it used to be transported to Europe on rail.

This was revealed by two Nigerians who were arrested for allegedly possessing 1.2kg heroin worth around Rs 1.2 crore in international market. "The duo had concealed the heroin inside the seats of children's bicycles and were planning to send it through the postal parcel service," said Ashok Chand, deputy commissioner of police (crime).

Richard Nwafor (38), an MBA, and Chris Chinonye (32) were held from the Gole Dakhana area on Saturday when they had come to send the parcels. "There was a tip-off that two Nigerians would come to Gole Dakhana to book parcels containing heroin for Nigeria. The seized heroin was concealed in 20 bicycle seats and kept in polythene pouches and, after being wrapped with carbon, was hidden between the upper portion of the seat and the sponge inside it," said Chand.

Nwafor, who had started a readymade garment business in Nigeria after his graduation, came to Delhi in June this year. "He used to import readymade garments from China and Dubai, for which he frequently travelled to these countries. In 2009, he incurred huge losses in his business as his counterparts in China and Dubai cheated him. He then contacted one of his friends, Ikonne Livinus, and came to India on his suggestions. Livinus gave him a consignment of heroin for sending it to Nigeria. Nwafor purchased cycle seats and after concealing the heroin in them, planned to send them to Nigeria by post," said Sanjay Bhatia, additional DCP (crime).

Chinonye came to Mumbai in 2008 on a business visa. "He used to export readymade garments from India to Nigeria. At the end of 2009, he came to Delhi and started trafficking heroin from India to Nigeria. "Chinonye had earlier sent heroin to Nigeria concealed in women's handbags and other such items. He was assisting Nwafore in sending the seized heroin to Nigeria," Chand said.

Sources said the accused had earlier used soft toys to send the drugs. "While Afghanistan and Pakistan have been part of the golden triangle from where the drug syndicate is run, we have found India is emerging as a favourite destination for transportation," said a source.

This year, five Nigerians were arrested in the city for murder while 33 were held for being involved with drug or fake lottery gangs. The police said that after the arrest of four Nigerians in the money exchanger murder case one month ago, they had identified 29 Nigerians living in West district alone without proper papers and approached the Foreigner Regional Registration Office for their deportation, said additional CP (West) V Renganathan.

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