The Prohibition and Excise Police in India has arrested two Nigerians and an Ivory Coast national for drug peddling.
Ugochukwu Goodluck, Okoro Samuel, and Zadi Pascal, an Ivorian, were arrested with 254 grams of cocaine worth 15 lakh during a raid in Hyderabad on Sunday, June 23, 2019, according to a report by the Times of India.
The deputy commissioner of the department, C Vivekananda Reddy, explained that Goodluck worked for a Bengaluru-based cocaine supplier named Ebuka, another Nigerian, while Samuel worked for a Mumbai-based supplier named Dandy.
Reddy said Dandy operates based on instruction from a Nigerian-based peddler identified as Lucky. Pascal worked with both the Mumbai and Bengaluru groups.
During the raid, authorities also seized 3.2 lakh in cash which the suspects allegedly said they collected from clients. Three motorcycles and four cell phones were also recovered from the suspects.
According to Reddy, Goodluck had arrived Hyderabad a few days before the raid and handed over cocaine to Pascal. Samuel had also travelled from Mumbai to keep a watch on Pascal’s operations on behalf of Dandy and Lucky.
Lucky, Ebuka and Dandy remain at large, but the Goodluck, Samuel and Pascal have been remanded in judicial custody after arraignment before the court.
All the peddlers were discovered to have been staying illegally in India with no valid visa.
Reddy said some customers have also been identified by authorities and will face appropriate legal action.
