The police in India have arrested three Nigerians over alleged involvement in peddling MDMA crystals and recovered illicit products and cash worth over $27,000.
The Hindu reported Monday that the suspects were arrested with the illicit products concealed in readymade garment packs by police in Rajanukunte, a suburb in Bengaluru, Southern India.
The suspects were reported to have visited India on medical visas in December 2024 and stayed in Delhi before relocating to Bengaluru, where they had overstayed their visas.
Superintendent of Police, Bengaluru Rural District, C.K. Baba stated that the suspects were arrested by a police team that had been keeping watch over their house following a tip-off.
Baba said the police team recovered 2.8 kilos of MDMA crystals, 350 g of Hydro ganja, ₹2 lakh ($2,333) cash and seven mobile phones worth ₹4.5 crore ($27,000) from them.
According to the police boss, the suspects’ modus operandi involved concealing the drugs in cardboard strips used to pack readymade clothes and delivering it to their customers to deceive law enforcement agencies.
He explained that the suspects went to great lengths to evade detection, noting that the house they lived and used to pack and deliver the drugs was rented using a false identity.
Baba said the suspects would monitor unusual movements outside the house all the time.
He added that an investigation was ongoing to determine if other individuals were involved in the illegal operation, the source of the drugs, and their peddling network.